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#i would do anything for simeon to be my house husband
onyourowndaisymae · 1 year
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obey me dateables (+ luke) playing minecraft with you
this came to me last night like a prophecy from the god of silly geese
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prompt: you've somehow convinced these guys to play minecraft, a human world game, one night, just the two of you. but how exactly does that experience go?
[brothers version]
{established relationship, obey me x reader (minus luke, who is platonic ofc)}
Diavolo
oh you-- oh you thought the future king of the devildom was going to be a fearsome warrior slashing down hordes of monsters coming to attack the two of you? or a masterful builder constructing a wonderous homestead for you two to retreat to at night?
nah, this man is a certified flower picker.
diavolo basically uses this as an excuse to play domestic family simulator with you. he's at his happiest when he's picking flowers and planting them around your shared house (you've got to share a house with this man or he'll give you the most pitiful expression) or decorating to any other extent, like carpets or paintings or lights. he just loves making your little home together!
he's also just as willing to do anything you request of him. you need him to mine for cobblestone? he's your guy! need someone to fish for you? right away, mc! you have to show him exactly how to complete said task, but once you do, he's happy to help.
definitely puts your beds together and gives you a dumb, happy grin. the characters are as close as the two of you now! speaking of which, do you have any plans? will you spend the night at the castle? he can push back his morning meeting tomorrow if you promise you'll stay.
he's just so happy to spend time with you. your shared little cottage and virtual world are just another artifact of your relationship. maybe some day the two of you can have a domestic setup like this in real life, too.
Barbatos
this man is good at everything he does. obviously, he's going to pick up the controls and mechanics surprisingly fast. you'd think he'd made the game himself with the ease he gets around.
your shared house is beautiful. he actually originally made two separate houses, one for each of you. but when you looked confused and told him you assumed you'd live together, he immediately gets to work on a bigger, prettier house for you to share. the only thing that gives him away is that pleased little twitch of the corner of his mouth as he resists a smile.
with as good as he is at the game, barbatos isn't super keen on what is actually "good" and what is just normal game stuff. he finds diamonds within 15 minutes of his first trip into a cave and, when you applaud his efforts, he turns to you and very plainly asks "is that... good?"
everything he finds goes in a communal chest at your shared home. you tell him he doesn't have to do that, but he insists-- it's in his nature. he doesn't tell you that every little comment you make when you spot new, valuable resources in the chest makes his chest warm. always happy to serve, this one.
monster killing machine. nothing will hurt you in this game. they can't even get close enough-- barbatos is always there, at your tail, protecting you from stray arrows or sneaky creepers trying to get you.
Simeon
oh, you're taking on the challenge of trying to teach him how to play a video game? good luck. kiss your sanity goodbye now.
he is terrible with the controls. simeon fares a little better with a controller because it's made for gaming only. god help you both if you're on a computer. wasd? never heard of her.
despite his piss poor technology skills, he's surprisingly pleased with the way this is all going. he feels a little bad that you have to babysit him in-game but appreciates your attention nonetheless. any mistake is met with a sweet laugh-- what a good sport.
he finds your patience endearing, and vows internally to get better at this game so that you'll want to play it more often. he's already plotting to rope solomon and luke into helping him improve.
and just like any good softie, he's terrible at in-game combat. he dies so many times. he doesn't really understand what's happening when he starts getting attacked. most of the time, the creature will hit him from behind, so he literally thinks he's dying for no reason. you have to explain to him that he's gotta-- simeon just turn around, you're-- dead. he's dead already.
his strengths in lie much more simple pursuits. give this man a farm to tend and he'll be perfectly content being a cute little malewife house husband. he secretly gathers the ingredients for a cake and surprises you with one after you return home from collecting wood to expand your house. he's beaming next to you in real life; who wouldn't kiss all over that cute face of his?
Solomon
speaking of old ass men-- this man is a menace in your minecraft world.
he gets the controls pretty quickly. pros: you don't have to spend much time teaching him how to play. cons: he is confident enough in his survival abilities to just... disappear. what's that mc? you wanted to build a house together? too late. he's fighting against three endermen deep in a mine an entire biome away.
you're going to have to do a lot of the communal work yourself. build the house, gather resources, find a reliable source of food and materials-- solomon will stroll right in and steal them from your chest. if he's feeling generous, he'll leave behind the rare resources he got his hands on during his journeys. which is nice, of course, but he still stole three whole stacks of wood planks like a jackass and took off before you noticed.
you end up making it to the nether together. he says he'll protect you, and for the most part that is true. however, sometimes he's preoccupied and you get attacked while he's not looking. if you die, he'll laugh at you (yet still save your stuff and give it back when you return). if you survive, then it's onwards into the depths of hell!
when he gets bored, he starts terrorizing you. this is as basic as moving things around the house to as obnoxious as blocking you in with dirt or wood and covering you up as you try to escape. he thinks this is hilarious, by the way. but he knows you, and his antics cease before you actually get pissed off.
Luke
luke tries very, very hard to be good at this game. he gets a A for effort... and a C- for skill.
somehow, someway, he falls into every. hole. imaginable. you'd almost think they're spawning in front of him with how frequently this happens. you're playing rescue now... and again... and again... and he did it once again. he also gets lost very easily, so it's best to keep him with you at all times.
you guys decide to share a little house together and it's very cute. you've got your own separate rooms, then a kitchen and living room to share. he is very insistent that it has to look like a real house, with a real kitchen and everything. humor him and help him out-- he'll reward you by always making sure you have food.
every activity in this game is now a group activity. safety in numbers, he says, in the middle of the day with no monsters in sight. it doesn't really matter anyways. he'll follow you wherever you go. he'll even enter that super scary cave you're in so he doesn't have to face the monsters alone.
luke is very scared of being attacked by any mob in the game. he's specifically built his room on the second floor of your house so they can't get him. if he is somehow face to face with a monster, then he's yelling, incoherent as all hell, panic-building a dirt protection chamber around himself (he won't actually kill them because he feels too bad). if you're within reach, then he'll cover you too. if not, good luck with that monster! he will root for you, obviously, but you're delusional if you think he's going out there to help you.
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harunayuuka2060 · 2 years
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The priest: S-Say your vows...
Simeon: *stern* MC.
MC: What? *smiles at the priest* Don't mind me, father.
MC: I will at least let you process our documents before you see god. Isn't that the greatest gift you could ever have in your life?
Simeon: ...
Simeon: Father, I'm really sorry about this. We're postponing the wedding.
MC: Aww...
Simeon: Let's go somewhere else.
MC: Okay. *shoots the priest*
Simeon: MC!
The priest: *cries in pain*
MC: I just fired his weenie. He won't die from that.
Simeon: ...
Simeon: *sigh* Let's just go. Please.
The judge: ...
MC: *smiling*
The judge: I hope you won't take this as an offense, MC. But are you sure this man is willing to marry you?
MC: Hm? Are you trying to say I'm forcing him into this?
The judge: No. But he's making a huge mistake.
MC: Not as much as you did.
The judge: ...
The judge: Alright. You didn't have to say that. *looks at Simeon*
The judge: ...
Simeon: Don't worry about me, Your Honor. I'm doing this in my own will.
The judge: I see. Then sign these documents and you are officially married in the eyes of the law.
MC: Is this free-of-charge?
Simeon: MC.
The judge: Yes. You don't have to pay for anything.
MC: We're here~.
Simeon: ...
Simeon: This isn't your house.
MC: Yup. I know. This one is yours.
Simeon: ...
Simeon: You... bought me a house?
MC: Yes. *smiles* Don't you like it? I made sure it has a garden outside.
Simeon: ...
Simeon: *frowns* What are you doing?
MC: Hm? What do you mean?
Simeon: *gets inside the car again*
MC: Eh... What's with you all of a sudden?
Simeon: Drive me to your house. I will live there.
MC: *seems confused* What's wrong with this house? It's much better than mine.
Simeon: MC, I'm your husband now. So you're telling me to live alone in that house?
MC: *smiles* Yes.
Simeon: ...
Simeon: You don't want to live me?
MC: *chuckles* You're misunderstanding things. I'm doing this for you, you know.
MC: No one in their right mind would like to live with a psychopath like me.
Simeon: ...
Simeon: I'm not in my right mind.
MC: ...
Simeon: So unless you live with me, I'm not staying in that house.
MC: *seems to be in shock*
Lucifer: Look. Even the ruthless human couldn't believe what he's saying.
Diavolo: Ah... This feels kinda nostalgic.
Lucifer: *frowns* Don't compare this to when we first met. They're completely different.
Barbatos: ...
Lucifer: Barbatos, are you not going to say anything?
Barbatos: ...
Barbatos: I'm curious how their marriage will go.
Diavolo: Let's make a bet. They divorce in a month.
Lucifer: I'll be surprised if this marriage survives for a week.
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chryzure-archive · 2 years
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isdfuygvfszi I just remembered that AU where Chrysi and Azure were married and then Azure died and Jacks and Chrysi got married and then Azure came BACK TO LIFE... CAN I HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS
YEAH YEAH YEAH, i remember i gave a basic rundown of the au somewhere on this blog, but i don’t know where it is. so. that’s an issue.
ANYWAY, YES!!! chrysi and azure were both the it couple in ghost hunting circles. everyone was either happy for them or jealous of them. and jacks was chrysi and azure’s friend around this time (because jacks being the little accessory pet of that relationship is very funny to me)—but let’s be real, he had the tiniest crush on chrysi.
obviously he respects chrysi and azure’s relationship too much to do anything about it—plus, he’s pursuing someone else instead.
well, long story short, azure dies on one of the cases he and chrysi take on. it was a combination of bad luck, chrysi being in danger, and azure jumping in the way to protect her. he doesn’t remember anything after that because, well, he’s super dead now.
chrysi is destroyed after he dies. she’s found with azure’s body in her arms, and she’s screaming and desperately trying to bring him back to life (azure and her were trying to figure out the extent of her ghost witch powers and azure mentioned that some ghost witches can bring people back to life. clearly chrysi doesn’t know how.) jacks is ultimately the one to drag her away from azure’s body. he’s the only one that can survive her grief.
after that, jacks spends a lot of time with chrysi to help her. she’s a ghost of herself after azure dies and it breaks his heart (he doesn’t realize it’s beating. not yet. but it is.)
eventually, as the years pass, chrysi heals enough and realizes that she likes jacks back. it’s kind of a realization that dawns on both of them after they’ve essentially dated for months. like, chrysi’s making breakfast and jacks is sitting at the table while reading something, and chrysi’s like “so. are we boyfriend and girlfriend?” and jacks is like “………….are we?” i mean, he has been living there, unofficially, and chrysi and jacks have kissed before.
at that point, they start dating.
around this time, emery runs away from home and shows up at chrysi’s doorstep like “hi! you’re my legal guardian now because i can’t stand my mom :)” so their little family gains another person.
when they end up getting married, it’s a really tough decision for chrysi, since she’s still in pain over azure dying. jacks is super patient as she goes through all the stages of grief again, but he’s thrilled when she agrees to a wedding.
it’s a personal wedding. they put up all the pictures of it near the wedding pictures chrysi has with azure (they still have azure’s photos on the walls, since it feels wrong to erase him. as time goes on, it just makes chrysi feel wistful and nostalgic).
things are going great! until chrysi goes out of town and jacks is the one basically in charge of their town’s supernatural-hunting team. nobody should leave jacks in charge.
anyway, some people come back to life in the graveyard. azure is one of them.
he’s incredibly disoriented when he drags himself out of the dirt. you can imagine how fucking disoriented jacks is when he’s called out to the graveyard and sees his wife’s dead husband (and others) suddenly alive.
jacks does not handle this very well. for example: he does not tell chrysi what happened.
(chrysi’s out of town on a girls’ trip with emery and filly and luna rune. he gets the feeling that chrysi would want him to interrupt this bonding time, but he also doesn’t want to tell chrysi that azure’s alive because of this nagging fear that she’ll leave him now that azure’s back)
he instead takes all the resurrected people to a safe house and tells them that they need to stay there. then he calls simeon, who comes in, sees azure, then immediately drags jacks out of the room to yell at him. this is absolutely a situation that requires chrysi’s input.
jacks still refuses to call chrysi (DUDE!!!!) and he doesn’t let azure know what’s going on.
azure, for his part, can tell something’s up. jacks is acting really weird around him and chrysi’s not back yet. as he’s trying to figure out what the hell is going on, conni (also resurrected) sneaks out. he can’t handle being cooped up.
azure chases after conni once he realizes he’s gone.
along the way, they run into some shady individuals that might have something to do with their sudden return to life. it’s not a very safe interaction, and it ends with conni and azure making a break for it.
azure, for fear of leading them back to the safe house, takes a detour. he knows a house in this area with the same magical protections as the safe house, and it’s in the opposite direction. problem solved!
so he breaks into his old house (chrysi keeps the key in the same place, and azure figures it can’t have been that long since his death. um.) and he is greeted by photos of chrysi and jacks all over the walls.
this does not endear jacks to him. and yes, while azure’s somewhat mollified by the fact that his old photos are also still up, he’s in agony over chrysi moving on and choosing to be with jacks.
chrysi happens to come home from the girls’ trip right at this time, which… yikes. she can immediately tell there’s an intruder in the house, so she tells emery to stay in the car while she investigates.
azure and conni (who has jst been awkwardly standing there while azure came to the realization that his wife married his best friend) scramble to hide.
as chrysi walks the house, azure keeps an eye on her through a crack in the door. it hurts, seeing her again—it’s like his body can instinctively tell that it’s been years since he died, and that they’re no longer for each other.
then conni finds an escape route and they get out of there.
back at the safe house, jacks is freaking the fuck out because azure’s no longer there. yes, it’s concerning for azure’s safety or whatever, but most importantly, jacks doesn’t want chrysi to figure out azure’s alive again.
when azure comes storming back into the safe house, jacks begins to yell at him—only for azure to sock him right in the jaw.
right. okay. he didn’t expect that.
thaaaat’s right about when azure starts yelling at him for marrying his wife (“how long did you wait before you forced her to love you?” because even though he knows that chrysi’s immune to jacks’s powers, he still hates the thought of her moving on with jacks). conni wishes he could be recording this. simeon also thinks that jacks deserves this, just a little bit.
meanwhile, chrysi can tell something is off. she drives to the cemetery and finds, oh, well! there are empty graves! awesome! why the hell did nobody tell her about this? as she walks through the graves, she takes note of whose grave is empty. when she gets to azure’s, her blood runs cold.
oh, she needs to have a little talk with jacks. right now.
that’s how she finds azure fucking kicking jacks into the ground, and honestly? deserved.
she had an idea of azure being alive, but seeing him, breathing and real? uhhhhhhhhhhh. uhm!! she doesn’t know what to do.
she does stop azure’s savage beating of jacks (jacks gave up at a certain point lmao, he was jst curled up on himself as he endured), but when she takes jacks into the next room over, she slaps him.
jacks is not having a very good day.
anyway, after that, she goes into Very Professional Mode, and suddenly it’s like she was never married to either Azure or Jacks. she starts trying to figure out precisely what is going on and what the danger is. jacks and azure keep looking at each other with seething rage, but chrysi shuts down any other attacks by reminding them of the situation at hand.
well, around here is when chrysi discovers there’s a range of area that these newly-resurrected people can continue to survive in—evidenced by one of them running away and trying to escape, only to immediately turn to dust and disappear. well, that’s fucking inconvenient.
the more they investigate, the more they discover that the area of survival is shrinking, so that’s also not good.
anyway, in between all this time, when azure finally gains the courage to ask why chrysi married jacks, she looks at him and asks, “would you have wanted me to grieve your death until i died too? did you want me to be alone after you left?” he doesn’t have a very good answer to that. no, he didn’t want her to be alone, but he doesn’t like seeing her with jacks now that he’s back. there are no right answers.
anyway, that’s abt as much as i had planned for this concept,,,,, obviously i love it, but i need to figure out where to go w it now lol
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archived-kin · 3 years
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solomon deserves a husband so i'm giving him one (it's you)
note from kin: i don’t know HOW i’ve managed to get this out so soon after my last piece but i do know that it is a miracle (now watch me disappear for like a month lmao)
anyway there’s a severe lack of content for the boys in this fandom and therefore i am here to try to mitigate that!!
(as a heads up, this is sort of an au version of obey me’s story?? there’s no exchange program, and the general human world doesn’t know about the devildom or celestial realm, apart from sorcerers and similar special cases. solomon and simeon both still visit the devildom, though - solomon because he has a sort of job at the r.a.d., and simeon as an ambassador sort of thing for the celestial realm. the r.a.d.’s also less of a school and more of an organisation?? i haven’t really fleshed it out haha)
fandom: obey me!
character(s): male! reader, solomon, mammon (briefly), simeon (briefly)
pairing(s): solomon/reader
warning(s): blasphemy??? solomon disses god really briefly and that’s about it
genre: fluff!!!!!!!!!
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As a general rule of thumb, Solomon doesn’t believe in destiny.
He’s lived long enough to know that, no matter what he does, the universe does not care about him, much less have some sort of plan for his future. The course that the world takes isn’t affected by some grand puppet master pulling the strings; one has to force the so-called path of fate in the direction they want it to take if they want something. Solomon knows this better than anyone.
It’s as much a downfall as it is a strength - as much as power as he’s amassed over the countless years, his constant need to challenge the universe’s power has lead him down a path far from humanity. There had been a time when he was like every other human on the Earth, when he was still young, full of hope and determination and promise, believing earnestly in some God high in the sky who would guide him through his life.
He shudders to think what sort of insufferable fool he’d been back then. An almighty God? Don’t make him laugh. The ruler of the Celestial Realm is incompetent at best, and a downright childish brat at worst. He doesn’t know how the angels put up with him - though he supposes his realm-smiting power is part of it. Why the universe chose to place such power on such a being’s shoulders will always be beyond him.
Long as it has been since he had been so naive, Solomon has learnt his lesson, to say the least. He’s seen people come and go, witnessed kings and queens reign and fall, watched on as friends and family live and die. It’s a truth that he’s been forced to learn across the years of his long, long life, a curse that he brought upon himself the moment he gave up the purity of his soul in pursuit of magical arts. 
He supposes he’s always had an insatiable thirst for the unknown - to play all his cards out front, to tempt fate’s hand, to jump into the void and hope to find ground beneath his feet when he lands. It’s that sort of reckless abandon and hunt for knowledge that has led him so far down this path, through so many years, across so many sleepless nights. The world continues to swirl around him, always changing, but Solomon refuses to be swept away. Because, even in the tumultuous movement of the universe, there has always been one constant that keeps him anchored - you.
The night he'd first met you isn’t as clear in his mind as he would have liked. He wants to be able to remember everything - the way the soft blue light of the will-o’-whisps had lit up your eyes in the dark of the night, the way that your hand had felt in his as you greeted him with a handshake, the way that you had said his name for the first time - in sharp detail, but Solomon knows better than to hope to recall something so long ago so perfectly.
He’d still been relatively new to a sorcerer’s life at the time - excited and determined and a little too full of himself. You… well, he doesn’t remember exactly, but he does remember thinking that you must be the most handsome being to exist. The you of today would probably shake your head and dismiss the past you as an obnoxious high hoper, but Solomon has loved you for so many years that he’s never been able to think of you as anything less than perfect.
There are times when he wondered how he managed to stumble upon such luck. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Solomon has has had truly insufferable periods over the years he’s known you, and he’s always considered it a miracle that you still chose to stay. Even through all the restless nights and the exhausting trips, even after all of the clashes and vexation, you have refused to give up on him.
He had asked you once, in the aftermath of an argument spurred by his inability to confide in you and your own frustration with his refusal to communicate. He remembers that night so vividly that it might well have happened just yesterday - the frustrated shouts, the shattering of glass, the warmth of your arms around his shoulders as he finally collapsed on himself. He doesn’t know what your face had looked like as he stuttered the question out in stuttering breaths, head buried in your shoulder in an effort to conceal his tears, but he imagines that it had been soft.
“I’m not going to leave you to yourself,” You had told him matter-of-factly, stroking his hair with such fondness  that it still sometimes brings a tear to his eye when he remembers it on particularly long nights. “And I’m not giving up on you, either - not now, not ever.”
Solomon had been unable to speak, too choked up by his feelings and the sudden, overwhelming love spreading through his entire body to reply. He’d only sunk deeper into your embrace, wishing that the moment could last forever.
I wonder if he still remembers that…?
“...lomon! Anyone home?!”
He jolts up from the table he’s sitting at so abruptly that he nearly knocks his head right into Mammon’s chin. The Avater of Greed, however, reacts quickly, and hops back before Solomon can break his jawbone.
“Jeez, you’re off on a different planet today,” He comments, setting his hands on his hips as Solomon shoots him the sort of look that tells him that he’s not particularly enthused about his presence at the moment. “What’s up with ya?”
Solomon isn’t quite sure how to answer. Sorry, I got distracted thinking about how perfect and lovely my husband is and how I’m the luckiest man in the entire world - nay, the universe - to have him. He nearly physically shudders at the thought of how much teasing he’d receive if he answered like that.
Instead, he chooses a much safer and still technically true option. “Just thinking about going home today.”
Mammon nods in understanding, pulling up a seat next to him and throwing himself down into it without much grace. “I feel ya. S’ been a long day.”
“You’ve barely done anything today,” Solomon quips flatly, not particularly impressed by the demon’s attempt at… empathy? Relatability? Either way, it isn’t working. “I doubt it’s been that hard.”
“Now, now, Solomon, let’s not be rude,” interjects a soft voice from behind them. Simeon is still dressed in his fancy envoy cloak - the one so long and heavy that it trails along behind him like a bridal train, decorated with a number of elaborate golden charms that jingle as he moves.
Solomon attempts to shoot him a slightly annoyed look, but it’s kind of hard to stay irritated by one of the literal embodiments of holiness and light, even if he wakes you up at very unholy hours of the morning to help him figure out how to answer an email. Solomon isn’t ungrateful for the new age of technology descending on humanity, but he’d like it a lot better if it hadn’t somehow reached the angels as well. The amount of times he’s had to tell Simeon that he needs to actually turn his D.D.D. on before he starts calling someone is… embarrassing, to say the least.
“You’re back in the Devildom, I see,” He observes as the angel pulls up a seat and sits beside him. “Did Michael send you down again?”
Simeon nods with a smile. “There were some arrangements that needed to be made with Lord Diavolo. Naturally, I volunteered.”
“Naturally,” Solomon echoes, raising a brow at his friend. “I don’t suppose your biases had anything to do with your decision?”
“Well, they may have had some effect,” Simeon answers with a shameless smile and shrug, beginning to undo the tassels of his heavy cloak and draping it on the back of chair he’s sitting on. He’s still wearing all of his regular clothes underneath it - including the other, much smaller cloak. Solomon wonders how he hasn’t somehow melted in the heat.
“When’re you gonna start heading home, anyway?” Mammon asks, beginning to pick at a loose thread on his jacket sleeve. “It’s gettin’ late.”
Solomon blinks and looks up at the clock. “...ah, you’re right. In that case, I'll get going now.”
Mammon shoots him an odd look as he pushes himself up from the table and reaches for his bag, managing to hoist it onto his shoulder with some effort. He’s never been particularly good at heavy lifting - you’re usually the one helping him carry everything around the house.
“Oi, oi, what’s the rush?” the demon asks as Solomon adjusts the weight of his bag and starts heading for the door. “You on a timer or something?”
“I promised [Name] I’d be home earlier tonight,” is Solomon’s slightly absent-minded reply as he fiddles about in his pocket to find his transportation charm, nearly losing his balance and dropping his bag in the process. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
Mammon watches him in clear confusion for a moment as he pats down his pockets, mumbling a quiet curse under his breath as he realises that he’s left his charm at home again. How many times this month does that make it now...? He supposes that he could always perform a teleportation spell, but knowing his luck with those, he’ll probably end up somewhere in Morocco again.
“Oi, Simeon,” Mammon hisses to the angel, who cocks his head slightly to the side and leans over so as to hear him more clearly. “Who’s this ‘[Name]’ Solomon’s talkin’ about?”
“You don’t know?” Simeon blinks at him in blatant perplexion - as if he can’t even fathom the idea that Mammon might not know who Solomon’s talking about. “He’s talking about his husband.”
There’s a long moment of silence. Then—
“Solomon has a HUSBAND!?” Mammon practically shrieks, completely flabbergasted. “I thought he was totally, like, the forever alone type!”
“Don’t tell me you’ve never noticed?” is Simeon’s bewildered response. “Who do you think Solomon is always talking about buying groceries for?”
“I thought he was just buyin’ them for himself!” Mammon fires back, looking far more ruffled and shocked than he probably should be. He whips around to look at Solomon, who’s flicking through the little packet of blank charms he keeps on him at all times in an effort to find the right one to create a temporary transportation charm. He’s had to do it so many times this month that he’s already beginning to run out. “You’re married?!”
“Of course,” Solomon answers vaguely, briefly raising his left hand, allowing Mammon to spot the soft glint of a ring around his fourth finger. “You’re not?”
“Wh— ‘course I’m not!” Mammon exclaims, positively scandalised by the very concept. “Why would I get married, huh?! It’s a waste of time and a waste of money!”
“Think whatever you like,” Solomon dismisses him easily, which only seems to irritate Mammon further.
Finally having found the right blank charm, he plucks it out and begins carefully tracing patterns onto it with a single glowing finger. He’s dimly aware of Mammon furiously whispering to Simeon in the background, with the angel responding in kind, most likely sharing some exaggerated story from back when the three of you had worked together - when Solomon had accepted a job from the Celestial Realm. The details of the whole thing are a little fuzzy to him now, long as it has been, but he’s almost completely sure that Simeon somehow still remembers the whole thing flawlessly.
“How old even is he?!” He hears Mammon hiss.
“I’m not so sure myself,” Simeon replies, placing his chin in a thoughtful hand. “Let’s see… their two millennial anniversary’s coming up in about two years, and I remember Solomon saying that they got married when he was around two hundred or so… which means he’s about twenty-one hundred years old.”
“Holy shit,” Mammon mutters in disbelief, turning glance at the sorcerer as he starts folding down the corners of his charm into the right shape. “Humans aren’t supposed to live that long. How’s his husband still alive, then?”
“That isn’t really a question for me to answer,” Simeon shakes his head slightly. “I suppose you can always ask him yourself if Solomon ever brings him to work with him.”
“I doubt it,” Solomon speaks up for the first time since announcing his departure. “He’s usually busy during the day. Besides, transportation charms make him queasy, and I’m not making him walk all the way down here.”
“Aren’t you a wizard?” Mammon asks, scratching his head. “Just do one of ya fancy teleportation spells. Why d’you need a charm?”
Solomon sighs. He hates to admit it, but he can’t be bothered to make up some other reason to cover up for himself. “I’m afraid that teleportation spells aren’t actually particularly accurate. We could end up somewhere in the Pacific if I’m not careful.”
Mammon looks thunderstruck. “Then what about all those times you’ve teleported us?! Don’t tell me we coulda ended up in, like, the Archaic Pit or something?!”
“Well, it was always a possibility,” Solomon shrugs in reply, finishing the charm with a deft flick of his hand. “You’re a demon, I sure you could have handled yourself.”
“But…!” Mammon crosses his arms and turns away like a grumpy child. “Hmph…”
“Do say hello to [Name] for me, will you?” Simeon requests as Solomon turns to open the door, ignoring the sulking demon sitting beside him. “We haven’t been able to talk for a while.”
“You text him every day, don’t you?” Solomon asks, shooting him an unimpressed look. “I’d say that’s conversation enough.”
“Now, now, there’s no need to be stingy,” Simeon countered with a smile, tilting his head slightly to the side and leaning forward. “Besides, one misses the presence of an actual person after a while of nothing but electronic communication... especially texting is so difficult. Tell him he’s always welcome to come around for some tea - Luke would be happy to see him.”
Solomon shakes his head, but makes a sound of affirmation nevertheless. You had mentioned that you’ve missed seeing Simeon since he’d started the whole negotiator businesss, and he isn’t the sort of person to deny you the company of a friend. “I’ll let him know. Anyway, I should really be going now…”
“Have a safe journey!” Simeon calls after him as he swings the door open and sweeps out. Solomon waves a hand over his shoulder in response, then disappears down the corridor, most likely to a quiet spot in the courtyard to use his charm. He’s been banned from using them indoors ever since he accidentally shattered one of the fancy artifacts in the assembly hall and sent hundreds of shards flying everywhere. Apparently Barbatos is still finding tiny pieces of glass in the crevices of the floor.
“Why didn’t Solomon ever say anythin’?” Mammon asks Simeon after a moment of quietude. “Seems like the sorta thing you’d mention.”
“Solomon’s a private man,” Simeon says with a shrug. “Besides, he and [Name] have made plenty of enemies over the years, and you’d be shocked by how quickly names and locations can spread…”
“Does he mind us knowin’ about it, then?”
“Well, personally, I’ve known for a while,” Simeon answers, “And I’m sure the others will have worked it out by now - Solomon’s always finding ways to mention [Name] in passing. But no, I’m sure he doesn’t mind. He’d say something if he did.”
Mammon nods and goes silent for a little while. Then he asks, “What’s this [Name] like, then? Must be some guy if Solomon liked him enough to put a ring on him and keep him for that long.”
“Well, let’s see…” Simeon drums his fingers thoughtfully against the tabletop. “He has quite the penchant for raising deadly plants, he hasn’t gone more than a full month without exploding something or another for about five centuries, he takes clocks apart in his spare time, he likes his coffee with a touch of vanilla, he collects cursed books, he makes a lovely butterscotch-cinnamon pie, and he works as a curse breaker for hire.”
It takes a moment for Mammon to process all of the information that’s just been dumped on him. “...sounds like the kinda guy Satan would get along with.”
“I thought so as well,” Simeon agrees. “Their house even reminds me of Satan’s room, in a way… [Name] is quite the avid reader.”
“What, you’ve been?”
“Only once,” Simeon’s eyes flutter closed for a moment as he reminisces. “Quite a long time ago now. I wouldn’t know where to find it even if I wanted to go again, though - it’s always moving.”
“Do they move house a lot, then?”
Simeon shakes his head. “Oh, no, no. They’ve lived in the same house for centuries - it’s the house that moves itself.”
Mammon pauses. “...what?”
“The building,” Simeon clarifies. “They’ve got an enchantment on the whole thing that makes it change locations every couple of weeks or so.”
“But… why?”
Simeon shrugs. “[Name] doesn’t like staying in one place for too long.”
“Still, isn’t that a bit much…?” Mammon pulls a face. “They could always just travel, ya know…”
“As Solomon said, transportation talismans make [Name] feel queasy,” Simeon explains. “And he prefers not to use teleportation spells when it comes to him, just in case they end up somewhere dangerous.”
“And he doesn’t care about the rest of us ending up somewhere dangerous?” Mammon huffs and collapses forwards onto the table.
“Well, you can’t really compare the two,” Simeon says patiently as the demon continues to mutter indignantly under his breath. “He’s his husband, and we’re essentially just his friends from work.”
Mammon opens his mouth to make a rebuttal, then thinks about it for a moment and changes his mind. After a moment, he comments, a little less resentfully, “Well, you’d think he’d at least introduce us.”
“He’s been planning to for a while, actually,” Simeon tells him. “Give him some time and he’ll probably bring it up on his own.”
Mammon nods. “He’d better!”
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“I’m home.”
You look up from the book you’re reading and hop down from your seat on the roof just in time to see Solomon emerge from the back garden, looking noticeably dishevelled, with leaves decorating his head like some sort of fancy accessory.
“Welcome back!” You greet him happily, setting the book aside and moving forward to start picking the leaves from his hair. Solomon smiles softly at you as you take his bag in one hand and start pulling him to the front door with the other. “You forgot your talisman again, by the way.”
“I noticed,” He laughs, gently removing your hand from his upper arm and wrapping his fingers around it instead. “Why else do you think I ended up in the hedges again?”
“It’s a wonder that you’ve had to make these temporary talismans so many times and you still haven’t gotten one right yet,” You tease in reply, nudging him in the shoulder. “How many points is that on the tally now, then?”
“Ten for the basement, seven for the roof, and eleven for the hedges now,” He answers with a small pout as you laugh. “Honestly, you’d think I would have learnt my lesson...”
“You never do, love.” 
The door creaks as you and your husband enter the house, only to immediately be greeted by a bundle of scales hitting you head-on. You manage to keep your footing and steady yourself on the doorway; Solomon isn’t so lucky, and ends up laying spread-eagled on the floor with about two hundred kilograms of excited adolescent dragon purring on his chest.
“Looks like Triton missed you,” You comment with a bright smile, setting Solomon’s bag down beside the umbrella rack and leaning over to give the dragon a scratch behind his left horn, just the way he likes it. He rumbles happily and jingles the little bell around his neck at you. “Isn’t he getting big?”
“I saw him this morning, [Name],” Solomon wheezes from his position on the floor, somehow managing to reach up and tickle Triton’s chin with one hand despite the dragon’s weight. “He can’t have grown that much in ten hours.”
“You never know!” You tell him, reaching up and wrapping your arms around Triton’s neck. He coos in a delighted fashion and raises his head, setting it heavily on your shoulder. Solomon uses the brief lightening of the weight on him to take in a deep breath as you allow your dragon to nuzzle furiously into your neck. “Dragons are unpredictable, you know.”
“Believe me, I do,” He sighs tiredly as Triton blows out a pleased puff of hot air and knocks the clock off the wall again. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, Triton, I’d quite like to get back up again.”
The dragon blinks and raises his head from your shoulder, glancing down at the sorcerer that he’s crushing under his weight. Then he huffs and turns away again.
“Oh, you—!” Solomon curses as the dragon seems to press even harder into him. Your laughter rings out across the hall, and while he’d normally take a moment to admire the sound, he’s a little preoccupied. “[Name], stop laughing and help me!”
“He’s like a rebellious teenager!” You splutter helplessly in reply, voice still trembling slightly out of mirth. Triton makes a happy noise as you reach up and rub his scaly cheeks, his ears fluttering slightly. “Awww, you’re really growing up, aren’t you, baby? Your poor dads are really going to have their work cut out for them, huh?”
“Hey,” Solomon calls reproachfully from beneath Triton’s enormous chest. “Your husband’s still being crushed down here.”
“Oh, right!” You click your tongue and give Triton a meaningful look. He grumbles but obeys nevertheless, hopping off of Solomon (though not without knocking all the air out of him by using his chest as a launchpad) and scampering off, most likely to go play with the salamanders that have set up shop in the storage room again.
“I’ll never understand how you manage him so well,” Solomon sighs as you bend down to pull him to his feet, rubbing at the sore spot on his chest. “He never listens to me.”
“Aw, he loves you, really,” You reassure him, taking his hand and pressing a comforting kiss to his knuckles. “He just likes roughhousing with you.”
Solomon shakes his head, wanting to complain further about the big lizard that the two of you had adopted six months ago after the last one grew up and flew the nest, but then he sees the smile on your face, and he feels the flicker of irritation in his chest die down almost immediately. It’s at times like this that he’s really reminded of how absolutely worth it all of the nonsense he has to put up with at work is - because, at the end of the day, you are here, with your warm eyes and your lovely smile, with your comforting hands and your warm embrace, and there is no road too long to walk if you are waiting for him at the end of it.
“I know,” He sighs, tugging off his shoes and stepping into his favourite pair of slippers - the ones with the little cat faces printed on them that you’ve charmed to always maintain a perfect temperature for his feet. He glances at your own feet and notes that you’re wearing your matching pair as well.
The two of you have long since set up a routine for this sort of occasion, and you both fall into it with unconscious ease. Solomon changes into something more comfortable while you put the kettle on in the kitchen, and the two of you inevitably spend so long snuggled up together on the largest armchair in the living room, unwilling to leave the warmth of each other’s presence, that the water cools down, and you end up having to put it back on again. Then you sit together at the table, you with a coffee with a dash of vanilla and him with his favourite chrysanthemum tea that you always brew just the way he likes it. Sometimes you’ll sit side by side, shoulders pressed up against each other as you show him the specifics of your latest curse-breaking commission, and sometimes you’ll sit across from each other, holding hands across the tabletop as he tells you about his day.
Today it is the former, but Solomon can’t help but zone a little out of the detailed deep-dive you’re giving him about the intricacies of the spell that’s cursed this teapot to shoot its contents at anyone who attempts to fill it. It isn’t that your explanation is boring - quite the contrary, in fact; Solomon could probably listen to you describing the most mundane or trivial of things on loop for the rest of his life and be perfectly content with it. No, it’s more to do with the fact that this is the first time he’s been home before dark in a long while, and he can’t help but revel in the fact that he can spend time with you like this again. Of course, there’s something wonderful in coming home to be able to collapse into bed beside you and bury his face in the crook of your neck, drifting to sleep as you burrow closer to him even in your sleep, but Solomon can’t run off of that forever - he needs to see you with your eyes open as well, after all. 
“You’re not listening to a word I say, are you?” You ask as you note the far-off look on your husband’s face. You’re not offended in the slightest by the way he starts at the directed question, evidently guilty, but you are a little puzzled. “Is there something wrong?”
Solomon’s mouth falls open slightly, then shuts again. There’s something about the way you’re looking at him so earnestly that makes his heart stutter like nothing else. Honestly, you’d think he’d be used to this after nearly two thousand years, but it seems that he’s still as weak for you as he was on the very first day of your marriage. “...I suppose I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”
“You always have a lot on your mind,” You counter softly, giving his hand a brief squeeze. “Come on, you can tell me.”
He laughs quietly, bringing your linked hands up to his face and gently holding yours to the side of his face; you, in turn, unfurl your fingers from around his and rub his cheek affectionately. After a moment, a fond smile pulling at his lips, Solomon replies, “I’ve… missed you a lot this week.”
You pause in mild surprise, but it quickly turns to endearment as Solomon presses his body even closer to yours. The hand that you’re using to hold your mug of coffee moves to settle on his shoulder as you pull him closer. “Really now? What a coincidence. I’ve missed you lots as well, love.”
He chuckles a little bashfully, his cheeks flushing. It seems that your ability to fluster him hasn’t declined even a bit over the years. He’s still well and truly besotted.
You can’t help but find it rather amusing that, despite already having spent a good hour and a half or so in the living room, bundled so close together in the blankets that you could feel his breath on your skin, the two of you are still nestling so close together now. You suppose it’s the effects of a week with much less contact than usual.
You lean forward and press a kiss to his jaw before pulling back again, reaching for your coffee and taking a sip. Solomon exhales softly, pulling his own drink towards him and draining the last of the tea in a single mouthful.
“You know,” He says, setting his empty cup down on the table. “One of my coworkers was asking about you earlier.”
“‘Coworkers’,” You snort at his choice of language, earning a reproachful poke in the side as punishment. “Come on, just admit that they’re your friends.”
“Fine,” He sighs. “One of my friends, then - Mammon, the one that Lucifer’s stringing up all the time.”
“The one with white hair?” You recall, thinking back to the group photo that Simeon had sent you a while back. “He’s the Avatar of Greed, right?”
“That’s the one,” Solomon nods. “Apparently he never noticed that I was married.”
“Well, you can’t really blame him,” You say, giving him a playful nudge. “Honestly, the way you keep your mouth shut, you’d think I was some shameful secret or something.”
Solomon looks scandalised by the very idea - it had only been a little joke, but his eyes flash with such affront that it’s almost as if someone has genuinely called you such a thing. “Of course not! I’d never—”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I was joking,” You cut him off before he can get more riled up. Solomon calms down quickly once you set a comforting hand on his knee, though he still looks a little indignant. “I know why you don’t like talking about us much, but really, it’s okay. They’re your friends, aren't they?”
He hesitates, then nods, releasing another deep sigh soon afterwards. “I suppose. There isn’t much I can really do about it at this point anyway… according to Simeon, most of them have somehow figured it out already.”
“They’re probably a lot smarter than you give them credit for, Sol,” You hum, reaching up and brushing a stray lock of hair out of his eyes for him. “They’re demons, after all. They’ve lived even longer than us.”
“Believe me, they really aren’t.” Solomon shakes his head, a frown pinching at his brow at the very memory of the amount of things that his coworkers have done recently - some of the most notable being Diavolo setting an entire flock of geese free in the courtyard for an ‘experiment’, Levi quite literally throwing himself out of a window just to win a bet against Mammon about who could get down the stairs faster, Asmo causing a stampede in the main hall by dropping and shattering a bottle full of a powerful aphrodisiac potion that became even more powerful once released into the air, and Lucifer accidentally breaking one of Solomon’s favourite cauldrons when he’d transformed into his demon form and inadvertently smacked halfway across the room it with one of his upper wings.
“I’d really love to meet them some day,” You sigh, swirling the contents of your mug around. “They sound like fun.”
“Trust me, the trouble isn’t worth it—” Solomon attempts to reason with you, but he gives up laughably quickly as you pout at him in protest. “Oh, fine. But don’t blame me if you get sick because of the charm again.”
“We don’t have to use the charm,” You shake your head. “Just do a teleportation spell!”
“You know that that’s risky,” Solomon sighs, chucking you under the chin and leaning forward to kiss the tip of your nose. You laugh as he draws back again, a pleased smile rising on his face at your reaction. “We could end up anywhere.”
“You’ve teleported them a bunch of times, though, haven’t you? And you haven’t ended up in Texas or the Sahara Desert any of those times!”
The resemblance to his earlier conversation with Mammon and Simeon is almost uncanny. “That’s different. I was still teleporting them within the Devildom, not across an entire realm barrier… and besides, I can afford the risk with them. You’re a different story.”
You pout again, shoulders dropping in defeat, though it doesn’t escape Solomon’s notice that his sentiment seems to have appeased you at least a little. “...guess we’ll just have to use a transportation talisman, huh…?”
“That’s your only option if you really want to visit, yes.”
You go quiet for a moment or two, nose wrinkling and face scrunching as you think it over. Solomon doesn’t mind the lack of conversation - he entertains himself by studying your features, wondering for perhaps the millionth time how he managed to find someone like you.
Finally, a determined look rising on your face, you nod and proclaim, “Then I’ll do it!”
Solomon cocks his head slightly to the side. He can’t say he’s surprised by your eagerness, but he had expected it to take you longer to make up your mind. He opens his mouth to say something, but tou answer his question before he’s even asked it, a skill that you’d managed to pick up within the first year or so of knowing him.
“I really wanna see what you actually get up to when you work,” You explain, looking a little sheepish. “You’ve had a job there for nearly two years and I’ve never even said a word to the people you work with.”
Solomon laughs. “It isn’t usually a requirement in the workplace. Wear appropriate uniform, bring any equipment you need, introduce your husband to your coworkers within the decade…”
“Still, I’d feel bad if I didn’t at least meet them,” You say. “Besides, I want to see Simeon as well. You said he’s working down in the Devildom for a bit as well, didn’t you?”
“Why are you so eager to see him, huh?” Solomon’s tone is light and teasing, so you know not to take him seriously as he puts on an hurt expression. “I’m offended. Your dear husband’s right here and you’re thinking about some angel.”
“Oh, stop it, you,” You shake your head in slightly exasperated amusement as he runs a finger down his cheek in lieu of a tear. “You know it’s not like that.”
“Isn’t it?” He pulls an exaggeratedly petulant face and pretends to turn away like an upset child. “Sometimes I feel like you love him more than me.”
“Simeon’s a lovely guy, but you’re still the only guy for me, you doof,” You tell him, tapping fondly at the cheek he’s turned to you with your free hand. Solomon obligingly turns back around to look at you, a grin pulling at his mouth. “Why would I marry you and then stay here for two thousand years if you weren't?”
“I guess I always assumed it was out of pity or something,” He jokes in response, leaning forward and briefly brushing his nose against yours. “And, just so you know, you’re the only guy for me as well.”
“I’d better be,” is your lighthearted reply as he pulls away. After a moment, looking at him expectantly, you begin tentatively, “So…?”
He sighs, but gives you a smile nevertheless. “I’ll ask Diavolo. He probably wouldn’t mind if I brought you without asking first, but Lucifer definitely would.”
“What’ll we do if they hate me?” You ask. “Do demons actually eat humans?”
“They wouldn’t dare,” He replies firmly. “Not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, they won’t hate you. I doubt anyone could.”
You laugh and drop your head to rest on his chest. “You’re too nice to me, love.”
Solomon turns to wrap both his arms around your shoulders, setting his chin on the crown of your head. You smile into his jumper, looping your own arms around his waist and pushing yourself closer to him.
“I’m not just being nice. Honestly, [Name], you’re kind of the most perfect man in the universe.”
542 notes · View notes
yukiobeyme · 3 years
Note
Diavolo, of course, wants everyone’s approval. A marriage between him and Lucifer would be a merging of their families, and even though Diavolo doesn’t have much of a family left... Lucifer has a big one.
So Diavolo asks every single one of them. Some, like Beel, Levi, and Asmo, are easy. Others are a bit more difficult.
Mammon agrees, but only after he puts Diavolo to the test. (How can you expect to keep up with Lucifer if you can’t keep up with the Great Mammon!) Mammon essentially drags him on a heist. It’s the most chaotic day of Diavolo’s life (which is saying something), but neither one of them get caught, and he passes with flying colors.
Satan is a bit trickier. Normally he would claim that he didn’t care (and in a way he truly doesn’t. Lucifer is free to date/marry whoever he wishes), but the opportunity to mess with both Lucifer and Diavolo is too good to pass up. He also puts Diavolo to the test. (You’re very bold, but how do I know that you’re telling the truth? Declare your feelings for him at RAD’s next assembly, and don’t hold anything back). And much to Lucifer’s eventual dismay, he does exactly that. That assembly is one that goes down in history, and videos of Diavolo calling Lucifer “his precious little peacock” take over the internet. Satan, of course, gives him his approval, along with the recording that he took of the entire thing. Diavolo saves it on his phone. (Satan got an excellent angle of Lucifer’s blushing face!)
Belphie is the hardest, event though he never gave Diavolo a massive task. The two of them sit down, and Diavolo tries to have a heart to heart with him. But Belphegor hasn’t changed, and refuses to listen. And in anger, Diavolo shouts his true intentions. (“I’m trying to ask you for your permission to marry Lucifer!”). The conversation comes to a hault. Belphegor is surprised that he was even considered. (“But why should that come as a surprise? You’re a part of his family”). Belphegor then asks him why he wants to marry Lucifer in the first place, and Diavolo answers with a passion and earnestness that only he is capable of. And surprisingly enough, Belphegor relents. (“I don’t like you at all. And that’s never going to change. But you really love Lucifer I guess, so you can marry him if you want”). Diavolo pulls him in for a hug, and Belphegor angrily shoves him away. But Diavolo doesn’t care, he almost has everyone’s approval.
There’s only one person left.
Simeon is perhaps an interesting choice, but he is (or was) a part of Lucifer’s family as well. Outside of Lucifer’s brothers, he is the only one who knew Lucifer before the fall. This is the closest that Diavolo can get to asking for a father’s permission. It’s also the most terrified he’s ever been. With the others, he knew what to expect, and he knew that he would eventually be able to win them over, no matter what. But with Simeon...
He doesn’t know what Simeon is going to do, or if Simeon will ever agree to it. Yet for Lucifer, he is going to try. And he’s never going to give up, no matter what.
~ s8ncake 💚🎂
Look I got carried away with this, but it just got me going and I couldn’t stop. This is almost 2k words of wedding/married life/ and kids rambles. I’m so sorry. (Also I don’t know-how adoption works so I just made something up instead of researching it so I’m sorry)
Mammon also reminds Diavolo to get used to it and he is more than welcome to join him the next time Mammon does it. Honestly it bonding time and more time to learning about Mammon and Diavolo loves and adore every minute of it.
Levi was weary of why Diavolo wanted to meet with him. Diavolo tried to start the conversation with Anime but failed miserably. Then Diavolo just gets to the point and Levi is surprised, “Why do you want my permission?” But Levi says yes, and he will get Diavolo all caught up on Anime soon.
Diavolo knew Satan was giving him this task to embarrass Lucifer but Diavolo made it a reason to remind Lucifer how much Diavolo needs him. Both as a student council member, as his right-hand man, and as his partner. Diavolo poured his heart into that speech and even had his heart on his sleeve. In private Lucifer would call him a sap and pull him in a breath-taking kiss. He watches the video of Lucifer’s reaction in secret, but he cherishes it.
Asmodeus is so excited! Immediately tries to start planning the wedding then and there and Diavolo loves the enthusiasm but reminds Asmodeus that Lucifer hasn’t said yes and it’s a secret. Asmodeus swears he won’t tell a soul but wants to be apart of the wedding plan. Already listing possible venues, colors, and flowers.
Beelz was easy, asking him over dinner. Beelz was surprised but not too much. Nods his head and definitely says dessert is needed to celebrate and Diavolo can’t seem to disagree.
Simeon is surprised but really impressed that Diavolo would think to ask him. Goes as far as asking Diavolo if he wants to ask Lucifer’s father or even Michael and Diavolo stutters. Finally landing on, “I would love to but, I don’t think that has what’s best for Lucifer in mind,” Simeon laughs at how hard Diavolo seems to be thinking over this. And gives Diavolo his blessing with no strings attached.
When it comes to asking Lucifer to marry him, Diavolo is at a loss. While Diavolo wants to do it in public and then scream it to the world, he knows Lucifer would want it in private and more intimate. So, Diavolo pretended to have an emergency meeting. When Lucifer came Barbatos had just finished setting up for tea and there were Lucifer’s favorite sweets and pastries. Diavolo tries not to be sappy but he loves the blush on Lucifer’s face and how he squirms in his chair when he gave praise but Diavolo ends the speech asking Lucifer to marry him. Diavolo's gold eyes are bright with hope as red eyes meet his. “Such a sap,” Lucifer would kiss Diavolo’s temple before pulling him in a gentle kiss. “That doesn’t answer the question at hand here,” “Of course I will”
Then comes the wedding planning and Lucifer is more stressed than Diavolo ever imagined. Lucifer doesn’t know what to do about best man. He couldn’t possibly have all his brothers so how does he pick. Thankful the brothers come to him saying to just pick two of them. Lucifer ends up picking Mammon and Satan. Both are more than surprised, Mammon recovers the quickest, “Of course you want the Great Mammon!” The only thing Lucifer requests is to leave any jokes/pranks to the reception.
Lucifer swallows his pride and eventually goes to Simeon and ask him if he would be interested in handing him off to Diavolo. That there is no pressure, but he thought he’d ask. Simeon would laugh and say this is the second time he been surprised by the couple. “What was the first”
“Diavolo asked me your hand in marriage,” Lucifer short circuits for a moment, “I’m pretty sure he asked all your brothers too,” Lucifer isn’t emotional about it or that’s what he tells himself at least.
Levi claimed to want to be the DJ, Beel wanted to be in charge of food and dragged Belphie to help him, Asmo ended up being the second wedding planner, working alongside the royal wedding planner. Mammon and Satan claimed to have Best Man duties. In some ways, the planning was going a lot smoother than Lucifer thought.
The wedding was at the Castle and more or less a public event. Diavolo promises a smaller one for just close friends later, but Lucifer says the big one will be enough. The exchange rings, Lucifer had picked a white gold ring, something that contrasted with Diavolo’s yellow gold. There was a single blue sapphire in the ring and engraved with My Beloved. Diavolo had picked a simple gold ring with a ruby that was set in the ring, with My Forever engraved on the inside. While Lucifer wore the ring during the wedding and the reception Diavolo had a final gift beside himself to give to Lucifer and that was a matching gold chain, so Lucifer could wear the ring around his neck rather than wear it. Day to Day basis Lucifer does wear the ring on the chain, but for any events, Lucifer wears the ring proudly on his finger.
While they are married, Lucifer still prefers his office in the House of Lamination, “If I were to stay, neither of us would get any work done,” He just required to be back before dinner and any work he needs to continue is done in the castle. Then Diavolo is started to be pulled in the brother’s/ family’s shenanigans. The first time he stayed over at The House of Lamination after being married to Lucifer was different. Instead of everyone being stiff and on best behavior, they were normal, or at least what Diavolo thinks would be more normal. Levi comes in late, mumbling about being tired, and “Beel did you eat my breakfast again!?” Beel was stuffing his face, but occasionally checking to make sure Belphie ate something before class. Mammon and Asmo already arguing who is better looking Diavolo tells them “The answer is obvious, it’s Lucifer” which has Lucifer blushing and both of the brothers arguing and dragging Diavolo in it with them. Satan just ate breakfast and watched in amusement occasionally throwing fuel into the fire to watch it all unfold. Lucifer just pinched the bridge of his nose and drank his coffee. “I don’t know why you are encouraging them,”
Diavolo is ecstatic the first time Satan and Belphie come to him and ask to help them prank Lucifer. “He thinks he is safe in the Castle,” Diavolo is all for it and now they come to him occasionally to help with a prank and Diavolo loves every moment of it. No matter what the punishment from his husband will be.
Levi kept true to his word and got Diavolo into a few anime shows. Some went over his head but others he really appreciated and understood why Levi liked it so much. And sometimes it turned into a marathon with the other brothers. Diavolo loved it, it finally felt like they all were a family.
Mammon even offered to take Diavolo on other adventures and heist and while Diavolo is always hesitant. He can’t truly say no unless he is busy. The lecture they both get from Lucifer is worth the shit-eating grins and laughs they shared to get there.
They talked about kids before, Diavolo for sure wanted them and Lucifer had always been on the fence. After three years of being married Lucifer brings up kids and Diavolo is over the moon with his excitement. Diavolo definitely asked what made Lucifer decide he wanted kids. Cue a very blushy Lucifer as he mumbles about seeing Diavolo with Simeon’s and Barbaros’ baby they had just adopted.
Diavolo sets everything up as soon as he could. They had decided they would want an infant/ young toddler. As they were led to the infant area, Diavolo turned to look at his husband and saw him a few paces behind them. Worried Lucifer had gotten cold feet, Diavolo walked over to him to reassure him they didn’t need to decide today. The words died in his throat when he saw Lucifer was watching two young boys, most likely twins, and a little girl.
In short, the boys were twins Darius and Lucas, and the little girl Lily. “We couldn’t possibly separate them, they are family,” Lucifer was serious as he watched over the children. And that’s how they ended up adopting three kids instead of just one.
Parenting was tough for both of them. Good Cop/Bad Cop was definitely a thing in the house and Lucifer always ended up being the bad cop. But Lily seemed to make a bond with Lucifer. To the point, most times it took Lucifer coming home/coming to her to get her to stop crying. Diavolo has countless pictures of Lucifer falling asleep on the couch with her laying on his chest fast asleep. Diavolo on the other hand was usually the good cop and the twins definitely tried to use that to their advantage. But neither would change it for the world, the castle was so much more alive. It was never as loud and lively when Diavolo was a kid. The twins had prince/royal lessons that they hated with a passion. They rather play as princes than study to be one. They would fuss about Lily not having to it, “She will start when she is older,” The uncles were definitely the twin’s favorite adults, both seemed to idolize Mammon, much to Lucifer’s dismays. Even Lily seemed to have a soft spot for Lucifer, “Much like her father,” “Shut it”
But at the end of the day, they had a huge happy family, something Diavolo was proud to show off. Especially with Lucifer by his side.
I’m going to cut myself off here. I could continue but I feel like I’ve added way too much and going off-topic.
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27th December >> Mass Readings (Except USA)
The Holy Family
(Liturgical Colour: White)
Either:
First Reading
Genesis 15:1-6,21:1-3
Your heir shall be your own flesh and blood
The word of the Lord was spoken to Abram in a vision, ‘Have no fear, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great.’    ‘My Lord,’ Abram replied ‘what do you intend to give me? I go childless…’. Then Abram said, ‘See, you have given me no descendants; some man of my household will be my heir.’ And then this word of the Lord was spoken to him, ‘He shall not be your heir; your heir shall be of your own flesh and blood.’ Then taking him outside he said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.    The Lord dealt kindly with Sarah as he had said, and did what he had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time God had promised. Abraham named the son born to him Isaac, the son to whom Sarah had given birth.
The Word of the Lord
R/ Thanks be to God.
Or:
First Reading
Ecclesiasticus 3:2-6,12-14
He who fears the Lord respects his parents
The Lord honours the father in his children,    and upholds the rights of a mother over her sons. Whoever respects his father is atoning for his sins,    he who honours his mother is like someone amassing a fortune. Whoever respects his father will be happy with children of his own,    he shall be heard on the day when he prays. Long life comes to him who honours his father,    he who sets his mother at ease is showing obedience to the Lord. My son, support your father in his old age,    do not grieve him during his life. Even if his mind should fail, show him sympathy,    do not despise him in your health and strength; for kindness to a father shall not be forgotten    but will serve as reparation for your sins.
The Word of the Lord
R/ Thanks be to God.
Either:
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 127(128):1-5
R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!
O blessed are those who fear the Lord    and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat.    You will be happy and prosper.
R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine    in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive,    around your table.
R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!
Indeed thus shall be blessed    the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion    all the days of your life!
R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways!
Or:
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 104(105):1-6,8-9
R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name,    make known his deeds among the peoples. O sing to him, sing his praise;    tell all his wonderful works!
R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
Be proud of his holy name,    let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. Consider the Lord and his strength;    constantly seek his face.
R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
Remember the wonders he has done,    his miracles, the judgements he spoke. O children of Abraham, his servant,    O sons of the Jacob he chose.
R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers his covenant for ever,    his promise for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham,    the oath he swore to Isaac.
R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever.
Second Reading
Colossians 3:12-21
Family life in the Lord
You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.    Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.    Wives, give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and treat them with gentleness. Children, be obedient to your parents always, because that is what will please the Lord. Parents, never drive your children to resentment or you will make them feel frustrated.
The Word of the Lord
R/ Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
Hebrews 1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia! At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. Alleluia!
Either:
Gospel
Luke 2:22-40
My eyes have seen your salvation
When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.    Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.’
As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’    There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.    When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.
The Gospel of the Lord
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Or:
Gospel
Luke 2:22,39-40
They went back to Galilee, to Nazareth
When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.    When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.
The Gospel of the Lord
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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izayoichan · 4 years
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He had seemed a little better these last few weeks, more stable than before, more active all in all he had seemed more himself. Rylan walks up to his room, looking inside the door, finding him sleeping, that fancy wrist thing on his hand, that his parents had linked to their phones which measured oxygen and heartbeat. He still remembered that discussion, where Hayden had begged them for some time alone, and in the end, that was the compromise they had reached. He would be lying if he hadn’t enjoyed that discussion, it had been the first proper sign his brother was really getting stronger. There had been no more incidents where his heart had stopped or that he had stopped breathing, so things were finally looking up. Rylan mostly waiting for another dream experience, just going through the days as they came, the one thing he hated the most was going to school alone. He worried about Hayden, he worried about Vy, and he worried it would be the moment River called for him. What would he do then, hide in a bathroom? He shook his head making his way back downstairs to find his parents and Vy all in the kitchen. 
“Still sleeping, are you sure you do not want me to stay?” “He’ll be fine Rylan, I am here should anything happen, and besides, we had almost a month now without any relapses.”
Hayle walks over to his son, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him. He had lost weight with everything that was happening to both his and his husband’s surprise, but they hoped that he would gain it again, now that his brother was showing signs of stabilizing. 
“He was warm last night, but he seems okay now.”
Vy jawns, taking a bite of his sandwich, noticing Hayle looking at him, which makes him a bit self-conscious. 
“As I said I will be here, he will probably just sleep until you are both back home. Now off to school, the both of you!” “But” “Nope, school, now.”
He chuckled, ushering them both towards the door, promising for the millionth time the last year that he would contact them if they needed to come home. 
“Oh, my school stuff!”
Vy sprinted up to Hayden’s room, grabbing the back, and kissing Hayden quickly before he runs back down to Rylan who stands there waiting for him, holding his half-eaten sandwich shaking his head. 
“Dad says you have to finish it, come on, let’s get going.” “Oh... yes, I will!”
He knew why Hayle made him eat, he was worried he was tired and overexerting himself with always healing Hayden to keep him stable. Eating his sandwich while they walk, he looked over at Rylan, who looks back at him, before he just looks ahead. 
“How are you?”
He was trying to break that awkward silence between the two, one he hated, but he had also become used to over the last few months as Rylan had pulled more and more into himself. 
“I’m fine, just worried about the same person I believe you worry about. He isn’t completely draining you, is he?”
Their eyes meet, Vy noticing that Rylan’s are red like his becomes when he has been crying. 
“You were crying… is it because of Hay hay or River?” “You didn’t answer me…”
He instantly looks away, going quiet again just walking towards school and another meaningless day there. Vy looking away, pulling his lower lip slightly. 
“A little… It’s my fault though, so it’s okay… I’m tired but okay” “It is not your fault Vy, it is their fault.”
He sighs slightly, wishing he could get his hands on that last hunter that slipped away, he would most certainly show her a piece of his mind… or well more likely a piece of his magic. 
“And to answer your question Vy, both.” “I’m sorry…. I wish I could help, I keep looking for him and I try to talk to him when I see him.”
He looks away with a sigh, so many times he has seen him, tried to talk to him, even corner him, but he never said a word back. Just pushed him aside and walked off. 
“I am sure his master is lying! He wouldn’t do that… he just wouldn’t.” “I know, he tells me in the dreams, but it is close to two years now, and nothing outside those dreams.” “You want me to look into it I can look around more, find out what he is doing to him. Maybe ask the other sages or the mages there... I can trade some of my feathers for information!” “I asked Simeon… he was the first to lie to me telling me he had left RoM, that he had left us all behind, wanting nothing more to do with us… I don’t trust any of them to tell the truth, so no, don’t trade your feathers to those jerks.”
Their talk is interrupted by a beep on his phone, Rylan picking it up quickly fearing it was a message from his dad letting go of a little sigh of relief as he notices it being from his modeling agency instead. 
“Say Vy, you get off school like normal today? This isn’t one of those days where you stay longer?” “No, I leave early, same time as you, why?” “Oh I was just thinking if you weren’t I’d take him with me to work, he could lie on the sofa and watch, get out of the house a bit. But, if you are home, I think he is the safest with you. 
He looks at Vy, giving him a smile, noticing how Vy is scratching his arm something he did when he was uncertain or worried or both. 
“You'll be there right?... I don't want him to get hurt again... after what happened I'm not sure if he's safe with me... But if he wants to go with you…”
There is a part of him doesn't want Hayden to go anywhere, but he knows he's being unreasonable. But what if the hunters attack again and hurt Hayden again, what if he dies this time…
“If he wants to go... he should go with you.”
He doesn't say it, but deep down he thinks Hayden’s safer with anyone else but him after what happened. 
“How about.. you both come along, then I am sure Hayden is safe and sound even if his body fights him. Carl might just behave, and you don't have to sit home alone”
He stops, knowing they will soon have to split up, putting a hand on Vy's shoulder. 
“And you need to stop that, Hayden is perfectly safe with you, I can't think of anywhere safer for him to be with you, its where he feels at home, where he wants to be, and where he is safe.”
He smiles at him, trying to make him see. 
“Besides, I think he scared the hell out of those hunters, my dad said of probably more than twenty maybe one survived his attack, they will think again before trying anything like if they ever dare that is.”
Vy stops when Rylan does, looking at him, and pouting a little. Despite Rylan's words he can't help but feel like his presence puts them all at danger. If Hayden hadn't tried to protect him nothing of this would have happened. Nonetheless, he takes a deep breath. 
“Can your parents take us. I'm sorry, this is a stupid question. I'm nearly an adult and acting like a frightened child... “
He laughs nervously.
“Yes... I'll go.”
He looks around, not too eager on splitting up, but as he is close to the portal he hopes it'll be alright for both of them
“Will you be okay on your way to school?”
Rylan pulls Vy close and hugs him, wishing there was some way he could help him not feel like this.
“Yes, I will be okay, and you will be too. I can walk you to the portal if you want, I have time?”
He looks a little worriedly at Vy he hasn't been the same since it happened, and no matter how much they all tell him it was not his fault, he doesn't seem to believe them. He seemed like a scared lost little kitten almost every time they walk out the door. 
“Didn't they say we were being watched now.. by some fancy people from RoM?”
Vy hugs him back slowly, hesitantly at first. smiles a little. 
“No no. I don't want you to get off your way because of me. 
He smiles and pulls back, hands-on Rylan's shoulders.
“You're right. We're going to be okay. And yes, I think so. I don't know if it's the sages or spellcasters. But Faba said dragons are rare and valuable so it's in their interest to keep us safe... So... I should be going to RoM. T-thank you Rylan, really!”
He smiles and gives him one more hug, which takes Rylan by surprise, a genuine smile forming on his lips.
“I'll meet you here after school, and we'll ask my dads to take us to my work after... I think its good for all three of us to get to be somewhere else for a while. Have a good day at School Vy”  “You too, Rylan, I'll look around before I come to meet you, see if I can find anything that I might have missed”
He smiles and waves as he heads towards the portal, noticing Rylan standing there until he can no longer see him which makes him smile. The promise he made Rylan is one he does almost every day already, looks and asks around for River, so at least he can try to make someone happy. As Vy vanishes from sight, Rylan hurries off to school, the school day feeling endlessly slow, where all he did was go through the day and wait for the moment where it was over and he could head back home.
Beginning - Previous - Next
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victorluvsalice · 5 years
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And ascend to SPELLCASTERS! EMMETT BROWN, TECHNO-WITCH IS REBORN! :D Aaand promptly spent his first hour as said techno-witch scouring the bookshelves for good tomes along with his wife. Came up with a familiar orb of the Skull (two, in fact -- they both got one), but no books, meh. So I figured I’d send him to Caster Alley instead to get some wands and stuff!
. . .Wand stall closed shortly after he got there. *grumbles* At least I was able to get him a broom. Namely because the astral projection of Caleb Vatore never sleeps. Because, you know, vampire. XD And I got another look at the cool scenery in this world -- seriously, those torn-apart houses are the best. Really add to the feel that this world was saved JUST from the brink of destruction. Lovely. :)
And after that, I just had them practice magic and experiment with the cauldron until they had to head home to grab some sleep. Of the two, Nikal’s the only one with a spell right now -- Repairio! Instantly repairs broken objects and upgrades the quality of crafted ones. . .unless it fails, in which case it will set things on fire. We’ll, uh, see what Nikal manages in the next episode. ^^; Maybe we shouldn’t muck around with that spell until we know Chillio. . .
Anyway! Tomorrow, back to wo -- oh, wait, no! Tomorrow’s Spookfest! I made that a holiday! Okay, yeah, next week -- early Halloween for my two freshly witchified Sims! This should be fun. :)
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dfroza · 3 years
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what we believe matters.
just as our conduct. and what we share with others matters.
Paul continues his Letter to Titus with Today’s reading from the Scriptures with the 2nd chapter to instruct how we live our lives:
As to you, Titus: talk to them; give them a good, healthy diet of solid teaching so they will know the right way to live.
Here’s what I want you to teach the older men: enjoy everything in moderation, respect yourselves and others, be sensible, and dedicate yourselves to living an unbroken faith demonstrated by your love and perseverance.
And here’s what I want you to teach the older women: Be respectful. Steer clear of gossip or drinking too much so that you can teach what is good to young women. Be a positive example, showing them what it is to love their husbands and children, and teaching them to control themselves in every way and to be pure. Train them to manage the household, to be kind, and to be submissive to their husbands, all of which honor the word of God.
Encourage the young men in the same way: in every situation, they should learn to control themselves.
Titus, you have to set a good example for everyone. Go out of your way to do what is right, speak the truth with the weight and authority that come from an honest and pure life. No one can argue with that. Then your enemies will cower in shame because they have nothing bad to say against us.
Advise all the servants: Work hard for your masters, and be loyal to them. Strive to please. Don’t be rude or sarcastic. Don’t steal or embezzle your masters’ property. Show them you are trustworthy, and all the credit will go to the teaching of God our Savior.
We have cause to celebrate because the grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people. Grace arrives with its own instruction: run away from anything that leads us away from God; abandon the lusts and passions of this world; live life now in this age with awareness and self-control, doing the right thing and keeping yourselves holy. Watch for His return; expect the blessed hope we all will share when our great God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed, appears again. He gave His body for our sakes and will not only break us free from the chains of wickedness, but He will also prepare a community uncorrupted by the world that He would call His own—people who are passionate about doing the right thing.
So, Titus, tell them all these things. Encourage and teach them with all authority—and rebuke them with the same. You are a man called to serve, so don’t let anyone belittle you.
The Letter of Titus, Chapter 2 (The Voice)
our Creator orchestrated marriage on earth, just as He formed the paired genders of male and female that is decided at the genesis spark of conception to grow and be protected in the womb. we don’t choose our gender, nor is it even possible to do so. nor is it possible for a man to marry another man, or a woman to marry another woman, in view of our Creator’s truth. and the world may disagree with this view of sexuality, yet it still doesn’t change.
Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 4th chapter of First Chronicles continuing with the Family Tree of Israel:
[An Appendix to the Family of Judah]
Sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. Reaiah, Shobal’s son, had Jahath; and Jahath had Ahumai and Lahad. These made up the families of the Zorathites.
Sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi. Penuel had Gedor and Ezer had Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, firstborn son of Ephrathah, who was the father of Bethlehem.
Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. Naarah gave birth to Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari—Naarah’s children. Helah’s sons were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, and Koz, who had Anub, Hazzobebah, and the families of Aharhel son of Harum.
Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, “A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.” God gave him what he asked.
Kelub, Shuhah’s brother, had Mehir; Mehir had Eshton; Eshton had Beth Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, who founded Ir Nahash (City of Smiths). These were known as the men of Recah.
The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah.
The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.
Meonothai had Ophrah; Seraiah had Joab, the founder of Ge Harashim (Colony of Artisans).
The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam.
The son of Elah: Kenaz.
The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. One of Mered’s wives, Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. His Judean wife gave birth to Jered father of Gedor, Heber father of Soco, and Jekuthiel father of Zanoah.
The sons of Hodiah’s wife, Naham’s sister: the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon.
The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.
The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the family of linen workers at Beth Ashbea, Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (These records are from very old traditions.) They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah, resident potters who worked for the king.
[The Family of Simeon]
The Simeon family tree: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul; Shaul had Shallum, Shallum had Mibsam, and Mibsam had Mishma.
The sons of Mishma: Hammuel had Zaccur and Zaccur had Shimei.
Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers were not nearly as prolific and never became a large family like Judah. They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. They lived in these towns until David became king. Other settlements in the vicinity were the five towns of Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan, and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath. These were their settlements. And they kept good family records.
Meshobab; Jamlech; Joshah the son of Amaziah; Joel; Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel; Elioenai; Jaakobah; Jeshohaiah; Asaiah; Adiel; Jesimiel; Benaiah; and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah—all these were the leaders in their families. They prospered and increased in numbers so that they had to go as far as Gedor (Gerar) to the east of the valley looking for pasture for their flocks. And they found it—lush pasture, lots of elbow room, peaceful and quiet.
Some Hamites had lived there in former times. But the men in these family trees came when Hezekiah was king of Judah and attacked the Hamites, tearing down their tents and houses. There was nothing left of them, as you can see today. Then they moved in and took over because of the great pastureland. Five hundred of these Simeonites went on and invaded the hill country of Seir, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. They killed all the escaped Amalekites who were still around. And they still live there.
The Book of 1st Chronicles, Chapter 4 (The Message)
my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, january 3 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs
Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research
January 3, 2021
Salvation in the Spirit
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)
Nicodemus was confused the night when Jesus first spoke of the necessity of the new birth and then equated it with the symbol of baptism. Christ then indicated that the reality in both was the supernatural work of God, the Holy Spirit. “Except a man be born of water [that is, the Spirit], he cannot enter into the kingdom of God [with ‘and’ understood as ‘even’].”
The miracle of regeneration is thus a work of the Spirit, and just as “the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). It is not some soul-winning methodology but the Holy Spirit who does the work, and He (like the invisible wind) may work in a great variety of different ways.
This work of the Holy Spirit in bringing salvation to the unsaved is so great and so complex that it must be described in a variety of figures to convey the whole reality. In the first place, He must bring conviction of sin and the need of salvation. “When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).
Then, as the sinner repents and believes on Christ, the Spirit baptizes him into Christ. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). As a member of Christ’s body, he is made a partaker of His resurrection life. Simultaneously, “after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13), and “the Spirit of God dwelleth in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16). All of this becomes the mighty miracle of spiritual birth. “According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). HMM
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seekfirstme · 3 years
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The following reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2020. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net
Meditation: Where do you place your trust and hope for a life of peace, freedom and happiness? Scripture tells us that those who place their trust in God will not be disappointed (Isaiah 49:23, Psalm 62:8, Proverbs 3:5-6). In every age, God has placed in the hearts of his people, from the descendants of Adam, Noah, Abraham, the prophets, and King David, a longing and a hope for a Redeemer who will bring us God's kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness. We see the great unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the birth of Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God before all ages, who became a man to redeem his people from sin and oppression.
The long expected newborn Messiah is presented in the Temple at Jerusalem
Luke the Evangelist records the coming of the Christ child (God's Anointed Messiah) to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth in Bethlehem (Luke 2:22-24). Joseph and Mary brought the child Jesus with them to the temple to fulfill the Jewish ceremony, recorded in the law of Moses, for the "redemption of the firstborn child" (Exodus 3:2) and the ritual purification of the mother after childbirth (Leviticus 12:2-8). As Joseph and Mary presented their offering and dedicated the child Jesus in the temple, Anna, a godly woman of great age (84 years) who was filled with the Holy Spirit immediately recognized that this child was the promised Messiah and heir to the throne of David. She publicly "gave thanks to God and spoke of him [who is the Christ - the Anointed Messiah] to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).
Anna's persevering hope and reward of seeing Christ face to face
What is the significance of Anna's witness and prophetic proclamation of the Messiah's coming to his temple? Luke calls Anna a prophetess because she had dedicated her life to the service of God's word through prayer and fasting. Like Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) and all the prophets of the Old Testament, she was attentive to God's word and she spoke prophetically - under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - to others of God's plan of salvation for his people. She spent her days in the house of the Lord (the Temple) where she offered up daily prayers and intercession for her people.
Anna did not grow weary of placing her trust in God and his promises. Here hope and trust in God did not waver but grew with age.What enabled Anna to persevere for so many years and through difficult times, such as the loss of her husband, and through the trials of advancing old age? She never ceased to give thanks to God each and every day. She worshiped God in daily prayer, and with fasting and intercession on behalf of her people. And she never ceased to cling to God's word and to speak of his word to others to bring them encouragement and hope. She believed with hopeful expectation that she would one day see her Lord and Redeemer face to face. Anna is a model of persevering faith and hope to all who hunger for God and for his saving word.
The Holy Spirit renews our hope in the promise of God
Where do you place your hope? We can easily grow discouraged when trials and setbacks come our way, and we can grow cynical or give in to despair when failing health and advancing age rob us of our natural strength. Life's shortcomings and disappointments can either weigh us down or press us closer to God. The choice is ours - to rely on ourselves and our own strength or to put our trust wholly in God alone and in the grace and strength which he provides. Scripture reminds us that God gives us a (supernatural) hope beyond hope, a (divine) love stronger than death, and a (spiritual and unceasing) joy that no earthly sorrow or suffering can take away.
Is your hope in this present life only? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire and longing for a home and a kingdom of unceasing joy and happiness with God our Creator and Father. The Lord Jesus has won for us an enduring kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit who dwells in us renews and strengthens our hope day by day as we listen to God's word and believe in his promises. God never fails because his promises are true and he is faithful. The hope which God places within us through the gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to persevere with confident trust in God even in the face of daily trails, setbacks, and challenges that come our way.
The reward of seeking God's kingdom first
Is there anything holding you back from giving God your unqualified yes to his will and plan for your life? Allow the Lord Jesus to flood your heart with his peace, joy, and love. And offer to God everything you have and desire - your life, family, friends, health, and provision for the future. If you seek his kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), he will give you everything you need to know, love, and serve him now and to enjoy him forever in his everlasting kingdom of joy and peace.
"Lord Jesus, you alone are my hope and life. May I never cease to place all my trust in your unfailing love and mercy. Fill me with the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit that I may boldly point others to your saving presence and word of eternal life."
The following reflection is from One Bread, One Body courtesy of Presentation Ministries © 2020.
WILL YOU HAVE A REAL CHRISTMAS?
“Bring gifts, and enter His courts; worship the Lord.” —Psalm 96:8-9
We can have two kinds of Christmases — one real and the other fake. Anna the prophetess had a real Christmas. This eighty-four year old widow “was constantly in the temple, worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer” (Lk 2:37). “She gave thanks to God and talked about the Child” (Lk 2:38). Anna met and loved Christ. Her Christmas and life were Christ-centered.
The fake Christmas is described as “carnal allurements, enticements for the eye, the life of empty show” (1 Jn 2:16). This fake Christmas passes away. It leaves its victims self-centered, empty, and unprepared to deal with the demands of life and the new year. This fake Christmas prevents us from experiencing God the Father’s love (1 Jn 2:15). It leaves us spiritually bankrupt of love.
What if you’ve been deceived into celebrating the fake Christmas? What if you’ve still not decided which Christmas you’ll celebrate? You can repent now. The Lord has called you to read this for that very reason. You don’t have to let the devil rob you of Christmas. There are still thirteen more days remaining in the Christmas season in which you can meet and love Jesus. You can live for Him. You can have a real Christmas.
Prayer:  Father, may I “have no love for the world, nor the things that the world affords” (1 Jn 2:15).
Promise:  “The man who does God’s will endures forever.” —1 Jn 2:17
Praise:  The secularization of Christmas surprisingly drew Carlos back to the Church of his childhood.
Reference:  
Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for One Bread, One Body covering the period from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements
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fevie168 · 5 years
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Saturday (February 2): "The favor of God was upon him"
Scripture: Luke 2:22-40  (alternate reading: Mark 4:26-34)
  22 And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; 34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in  Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."   36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband  seven years from her virginity, 37 and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Meditation: Do you know the favor of the Lord? After Jesus' birth, Mary fulfills the Jewish right of purification after childbirth. Since she could not afford the customary offering of a lamb, she gives instead two pigeons as an offering of the poor. This rite, along with circumcision and the redemption of the first-born point to the fact that children are gifts from God. Jesus was born in an ordinary home where there were no luxuries. Like all godly parents, Mary and Joseph raised their son in the fear and wisdom of God. He, in turn, was obedient to them and grew in wisdom and grace. The Lord's favor is with those who listen to his word with trust and obedience. Do you know the joy of submission to God? And do you seek to pass on the faith and to help the young grow in wisdom and maturity?
The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Savior of the world What is the significance of Simeon's encounter with the baby Jesus and his mother in the temple? Simeon was a just and devout man who was very much in tune with the Holy Spirit. He believed that the Lord would return to his temple and renew his chosen people. The Holy Spirit also revealed to him that the Messiah and King of Israel would also bring salvation to the Gentile nations. When Joseph and Mary presented the baby Jesus in the temple, Simeon immediately recognized this humble child of Bethlehem as the fulfillment of all the messianic prophecies, hopes, and prayers. Inspired by the Holy Spirit he prophesied that Jesus was to be "a revealing light to the Gentiles". The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Lord to those who are receptive and eager to receive him.  Do you recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord with you?
The 'new temple' of God's presence in the world Jesus is the new temple (John 1:14; 2:19-22). In the Old Testament God manifested his presence in the "pillar of cloud" by day and the "pillar of fire" by night as he led them through the wilderness. God's glory visibly came to dwell over the ark and the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38). When the first temple was built in Jerusalem God's glory came to rest there (1 Kings 8). After the first temple was destroyed, Ezekiel saw God's glory leave it (Ezekiel 10). But God promised one day to fill it with even greater glory (Haggai 2:1-9; Zechariah 8-9). That promise is fulfilled when the "King of Glory" himself comes to his temple (Psalm 24:7-10; Malachi 3:1).  Through Jesus' coming in the flesh and through his saving death, resurrection, and ascension we are made living temples of his Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Ask the Lord to renew your faith in the indwelling presence of his Spirit within you. And give him thanks and praise for coming to make his home with you.
Mary receives both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph and he prophesied to Mary about the destiny of this child and the suffering she would undergo for his sake. There is a certain paradox for those blessed by the Lord.  Mary was given the blessedness of being the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. She received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. But her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises. Jesus promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take way.  Do you know the peace and joy of a life surrendered to God with faith and trust?
The Holy Spirit renews our hope in the promise of God Simeon was not alone in recognizing the Lord's presence in the temple. Anna, too, was filled with the Holy Spirit. She was found daily in the temple, attending to the Lord in prayer and speaking prophetically to others about God's promise to send a redeemer. Supernatural hope grows with prayer and age! Anna was pre-eminently a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfill all his promises. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in age.  
Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us cynical and hopeless if we do not have our hope rightly placed. Anna's hope in God and his promises grew with age. She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope. Her hope and faith in God's promises fueled her indomitable zeal and fervor in prayer and service of God's people.
Our hope is anchored in God's everlasting kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy What do you hope for? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire for the kingdom of heaven and everlasting life and happiness with our heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus has won for us a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit gives hope to all who place their trust in the promises of God. God never fails because his promises are true and he is faithful. The hope which God places within us through the gift of the Spirit enables us to persevere with confident trust in God even in the face of trails, setbacks, and challenges that may come our way.
Is there anything holding you back from giving God your unqualified trust and submission to his will for your life? Allow the Lord Jesus to flood your heart with his peace, joy, and love. And offer to God everything you have and desire -  your life, family, friends, health, honor, wealth, and future. If you seek his kingdom first he will give you everything you need to know, love, and serve him now and enjoy him forever.
"Lord Jesus, you are my hope and my life. May I never cease to place all my trust in you. Fill me with the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit that I may boldly point others to your saving presence and words of eternal life."
Psalm 128:1-5
Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! 2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. 5 The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Christ who was rich became poor, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"For this reason it seems wonderful that the sacrifice of Mary was not the first offering, that is, 'a lamb a year old,' but the second, since 'she could not afford' (Leviticus 5:7) the first. For as it was written about her, Jesus' parents came 'to offer a sacrifice' for him,'according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."' But this also shows the truth of what was written, that Jesus Christ 'although he was rich, became a poor man' (2 Corinthians 8:9). Therefore, for this reason, he chose both a poor mother, from whom he was born, and a poor homeland, about which it is said, 'But you, O Bethlehem Ephratha, who are little to be among the clans of Judah' (Micah 5:2), and the rest. (excerpt from HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 8.4.3)
Friday (February 1):  What the kingdom of God is like
Scripture:  Mark 4:26-34
26 And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, 27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
Meditation: What can mustard seeds teach us about the kingdom of God? The tiny mustard seed literally grew to be a tree which attracted numerous birds because they loved the little black mustard seed it produced. God's kingdom works in a similar fashion. It starts from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of men and women who are receptive to God's word. And it works unseen and causes a transformation from within. Just as a seed has no power to change itself until it is planted in the ground, so we cannot change our lives to be like God until God gives us the power of his Holy Spirit.
The transforming power of the Word of God The Lord of the Universe is ever ready to transform us by the power of his Spirit. Are you ready to let God change you by his life-giving Word and Spirit? The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive the new life which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield to the Lord Jesus and allow his word to take root in us, our lives are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Paul the Apostle says, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Do you believe in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?
The cross of Jesus is the Tree of Life Peter Chrysologous (400-450 AD), an early church father, explained how the " tree of the cross" spread its branches throughout the world and grew into a worldwide community of faith offering its fruit to the whole world:
Christ became all things in order to restore all of us in himself. The man Christ received the mustard seed which represents the kingdom of God; as man he received it, though as God he had always possessed it. He sowed it in his garden, that is in his bride, the Church. The Church is a garden extending over the whole world, tilled by the plough of the gospel, fenced in by stakes of doctrine and discipline, cleared of every harmful weed by the labor of the apostles, fragrant and lovely with perennial flowers: virgins’ lilies and martyrs’ roses set amid the pleasant verdure of all who bear witness to Christ and the tender plants of all who have faith in him. Such then is the mustard seed which Christ sowed in his garden. When he promised a kingdom to the patriarchs, the seed took root in them; with the prophets it sprang up; with the apostles it grew tall; in the Church it became a great tree putting forth innumerable branches laden with gifts. And now you too must take the wings of the psalmist’s dove, gleaming gold in the rays of divine sunlight, and fly to rest for ever among those sturdy, fruitful branches. No snares are set to trap you there; fly off, then, with confidence and dwell securely in its shelter. (SERMON 98)
Do you allow the seed of God's word to take deep root in your life and transform you into a fruit-bearing disciple of Jesus Christ?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and transform me into the Christ-like holiness you desire. Increase my zeal for your kingdom and instill in me a holy desire to live for your greater glory."
Psalm 51:1-5,8-9
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;  according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 8 Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: God gave us what was most precious, by Isaac of Nineveh (a Syrian monk, teacher, and bishop), 613-700 A.D.
"The sum of all is God, the Lord of all, who from love of his creatures has delivered his Son to death on the cross. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for it. Not that he was unable to save us in another way, but in this way it was possible to show us his abundant love abundantly, namely, by bringing us near to him by the death of his Son. If he had anything more dear to him, he would have given it to us, in order that by it our race might be his. And out of his great love he did not even choose to urge our freedom by compulsion, though he was able to do so. But his aim was that we should come near to him by the love of our mind. And our Lord obeyed his Father out of love for us."
(excerpt from ASCETICAL HOMILY 74.28)
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yourgodmoments · 4 years
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Christ Is Christmas
There never would have been a Christmas without Christ. Yet before He came to this earth, He was somewhere and something else:
In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. Jn. 1:1 – 4. AMP
And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] begotten Son of the Father; [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception). Jn. 1:14 AMP
What do we see? Christ is the only begotten Son of God and He was begotten before time, when there was nothing but God. So, no one else had anything to do with this special creation. Thus, Christ was created (for the lack of a human descriptive) from the essence of God Himself.
Given that is so, Christ is every bit as God-like as His Father – a Spirit Being; but that was to change:
He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. Col. 1:15 AMP
That ‘visible representation’ did not manifest until God sent Christ to Earth:
…although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes – the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it]; but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man]. Phil. 2:5 – 7. AMP
Why did God send His Son?
For God so loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Jn. 3:16 CSB
You see, ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, God had a plan to save sinful humankind, because they could not do it themselves.
What happened next? Ahh, that is the beginning of Christmas:
It began when God sent the angel Gabriel to an elderly priest by the name of Zacharias, husband of Elizabeth, who had prayed for a long time for children:
…the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John…He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.” Lk. 1:13 – 16. CSB
Of course, we are talking about John the Baptist, the co-existing herald of Christ’s coming.
Six months into John’s gestation, Gabriel returns, but this time to a virgin named Mary, and he said:
“…you have found favor with God…You will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end…The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God.” Lk. 1:30 – 33 & 35. AMP
God is meticulously directing the chain of events for the most blessed gift to humankind – the ‘Christmas’ birth of the sinless incarnation of the Son of God, sinless because He was born to a virgin – thus avoiding the delegation of the original sin passed generationally through man.
When John the Baptist is born, God steps in again, by stirring up his father Zacharias to prophesy about the coming of the Messiah by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and He has raised up a horn of salvation for us…” Lk. 1:68, 69. NASB
Redemption, pardon, salvation – a chance to be reborn…
When Mary’s pregnancy became obvious, Joseph, her intended husband, began to have thoughts of sending her away. But God steps in again to form the family structure so that His Son can experience what it means to be completely human. He appears to Joseph in a dream:
“…do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Mt. 1:20, 21. NASB
Saved from our sins…
Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. They sought lodging but there was none to be had. The only place they found to sleep was in a barn. Such a place of humility for the birth of our glorious Savior. It was the moment that the Love of God came to live amongst His creations.
Simultaneously, God sends His angels to proclaim the significance of the birth to nearby shepherds:
And an angel suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them…the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all people; for today in the city of David there has been born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”…And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Lk. 2:9 -11, 13, 14. NASB
Bringing peace…
Within a few days, the baby Jesus was brought to the temple in Jerusalem to be dedicated to the Lord. In the audience was a man named Simeon, who was led there by the Holy Spirit, and being filled with the Spirit, took Jesus in his arms and proclaimed:
“For my eyes have seen your Salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles [to disclose what was previously unknown], and [to bring] the praise and honor and glory of Your people Israel.” Lk. 2:30 – 32. AMP
Revelation of the Good News to all people…
News of the Christ Child’s birth spread far and wide. A star in the east had appeared to guide three magi (wise men, sages, wizards) in that region to Him. When they entered Judea, King Herod gathered them to him and asked them to report Jesus’ whereabouts when they returned, so that he too might worship Him. What Herod was really doing was plotting to kill baby Jesus, as he had heard that this Child was destined to become the ruler over Israel – usurping his throne.
And yet, God had a mission for His Son, and He will have it completed.  After the magi worshipped the Son of God, Jehovah warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, but to take an alternate route.
At the same time, God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream as a warning:
“Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt., and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” Mt. 2:13 NASB
So, Jesus and family remained safe in Egypt, when King Herod came to Bethlehem, angry, because he knew the magi had tricked him; and he ordered all the male children 2 years of age and under killed.
Later, when King Herod died, God sent angel in a dream to Joseph, who instructed him to bring his family back to Israel to live in the city of Nazareth.
And so, the Son of God was preserved for our sakes. What happened next?
And the Child continued to grow and become strong [in spirit], filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor, spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him. Lk. 2:40 AMP
And so, this is Christmas because Christ is Christmas, by virtue of His birth. We celebrate because Jesus is the love of God, even God incarnate, who came to save us from ourselves. Through that birth, the greatest event in history, we got to see God, learn from God and feel His unconditional love.
The Son of God took on human form, (the Son of Man), so that He could empathize with our fears, desires, anxieties, temptations and our frailties, and yet He remained sinless in the face of His sufferings at the hands of humans.  
Christmas reminds us that we have fallen far away from the pure image of God that we were created to be; yet God sent His Son to redeem us to Him that we may be cleansed from our self-induced tarnish and glow anew.
Jesus came to bring peace to our souls by removing the fractionation of them through our dissatisfaction in life, that is birthed out of the lies of the enemy. He did not come to condemn us is our wayward behavior, but to show us the way out. How? By revealing God’s truth so that we can shrug off the lies that bind us and be free of our old selves.
God moved heaven and earth to bring our Christmas Christ Savior. When Jesus grew into a man, He stepped into God’s foreordained 3-year ministry, where He taught God’s words of love and salvation, worked miracles to demonstrate the veracity of who He was, opposed the religious charlatans of His day, and at the end of it all, He laid His life down for all of us.  Was it enough? What did Christ say as He died (so that we may live) upon the cross?
“It is finished!” And He bowed His head and [voluntarily] gave up His Spirit.” Jn. 19:30 AMP
Did it work?
…the righteousness of God has been manifested…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood… Rm. 3:21 – 25. ESV
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor. 15:22 ESV
There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Rm. 8:1, 2. NASB
Resoundingly yes, it worked! Free from our sins to live an eternal life in paradise with the Father and the Son and all the children of God.
Christ is Christmas. That’s why we celebrate it!
Merry Christmas!
Goodnight and God bless.  
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apostleshop · 5 years
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From Good to Worse: When The Holy Spirit Called Me On The Carpet
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From Good to Worse: When The Holy Spirit Called Me On The Carpet
Copyright 2018 Susan Anderson. All rights reserved.
“What do you want for Christmas?” my husband asked. Actually, truth be told, he didn’t ask. I pushed. For at least the last five years, I’ve wanted new carpet for our staircase. It’s the first thing you see when walking through our front door.
The house is 29 years old. We are the third owners and we’ve lived here for 20 years. So the carpet has seen its days. It is a dingy beige shadow of the ghost of Christmas past. Way past.
“Well, if we’re going to do the stairs, we might as well replace the carpet in the upstairs bedroom, too.” Now, Rob did say that. I swear.
Yay! I was over the moon. That carpet had seen better days as well. Teenagers trod their dramatic footprints all over it. In addition, when we first lived in the house, before we enlarged the living space in an extensive remodel, we used that once loft-open room as our family/TV area. The beige was chosen to blend in the background, to be a neutral choice with furniture, painted walls, and the day-to-day homeyness that goes with family life. It was meant to last. But alas, it wore out and deteriorated like an old cup of coffee. Stale. No matter how much I vacuumed. Steam cleaning? Yeah, we’ve run that machine a few times.
So I went to Home Depot and picked out the most dramatic and ever-decadent-looking, “Dark Chocolate,” for the stairs. It’ll hide dirt. And now that I am the only one who climbs these steps, due to an empty nest, the rich brown, plush pile, should stay that way for a long time.
The upstairs bedroom has turned into a guest/craft room where I pray, play music, and paint jewelry boxes.
I decided to go beachy, with kind of a subdued seascape look. The name of the swatch is called, “Gravel Path.” I like songs about country roads and walks on the beach. It’s a short shag of loops, twists of soft gray and white. It reminds me of powdery sand on Wrightsville Beach, NC.
But the cost! Holy cannoli. $1,670.00. Ripping up the old and installation is free. Yay, me. Gulp. Rob gave in.
That gulp? I was swallowing that guilty gravel stone.
You know the feeling in the pit of your stomach? When you’ve gone so far in the process that you feel there is no turning back?
Well, the guys came to do the job, late the other day. They worked fast.
Before they came, I’d prayed a few Glory Be’s in honor of the Guardian Angels. I also played the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary on YouTube on my phone while I washed the walls in the upstairs room. Dana, and her lilting Irish brogue, soothed my soul.
I greeted them politely. As they got to work, I became feverishly excited about the house looking nice for Christmas, when the kids would come home. I shared a live video on Instagram. I started on dinner, folded some laundry, and made myself a beet, celery, cucumber, carrot, apple, and ginger juice. Between the juicer, and ripping, scraping, and hauling of carpet, it was a beautiful noise. A happy raucous cacophony.
And then things started happening.
That’s when the carpet quite literally and figuratively unraveled.
I reached for a tub of coconut oil and picked it up by the lid. It crashed to the floor. A few pieces of plastic broke. The sound was worse than what could’ve happened. Even the carpet guys checked on me to see if I was ok. I cleaned it up and moved on. But then I heard a four-letter cuss word amidst Hispanic lingo.
The one guy who spoke no English went outside. I looked out the window to see him tending to a cut on his hand. A gash. He seemed humble and embarrassed. I asked if I could do anything and the other guy with better English asked, “You got any band-aids?”
I motioned for him to come inside.I grabbed my first-aid basket (blessedly, this was organized and stocked) and went into lifeguard mode.
I turned on the faucet and handed him a wad of paper towel. It needed compression. I grabbed gauze and made him read the Spanish directions that read, “Compresse.” We had to stop the bleeding. I grabbed some gloves after I washed my hands and wrapped the finger and taped it. He got back to work. I told his supervisor to translate, “Be careful. You work too fast. I’m sorry you cut your hand. You’ll need stitches. Please go to the doctor later.” He smiled and kept right on working. The bleeding stopped. I guess the guardian angels were also on lifeguard duty.
Then I thought, I need bleach to clean up. I grabbed a jug from underneath the sink, removed the cap, and in my clumsy haste, dropped it on the floor, too! I felt a splash in my eye. At once, I’m thinking, do I pick up the bleach that’s spilled all over the floor, or do I flush out my eye? I grabbed old towels and wiped up the bleach (concentrated, of course). Then I flushed my eye with water. Maybe that was also a guardian-angel wing deflection, because there was no irritation. Something went in my eye, but it wasn’t bleach. Maybe the cap dropped in the water, and the water splashed up? My jeans, boots, and my favorite St. Maximilian Kolbe hoodie were a spotted, bleached design now.
Holy cow. What happened? A situation that seemed so fun, so hopeful, just turned sour.
I retreated to the bathroom with a cup of cow’s milk to flush my eye. That’s an old swimmer trick for chlorinated eyes. I changed my clothes and prayed.
Because I easily startle, my husband knocked softly on the door.
I told him about the whole afternoon. The guys were still working. Rob went into calming husband lifeguard mode too. He went to the pharmacy and bought eye wash and bandages. Then he came back and talked with the guys and thanked them. He helped vacuum around the stairs. They left with a promise to go to the doctor.
Copyright 2018 Susan Anderson. All rights reserved.
As Rob and I ate dinner, we backtracked on the whole afternoon. Whew. Was I not supposed to get the stupid carpet?
I don’t know.
This isn’t an equal comparison, but what I thought about Mary, Our Blessed Mother. Did she wonder at the Angel Gabriel? Did she panic at the thought of Joseph’s reaction?
Did she question if she should say yes to the will of God?
Did she think once about herself when she hurriedly traveled to visit her cousin Elizabeth?
When the census required her and Joseph to trod to Bethlehem, through hill country, on a donkey, while nine months pregnant, did she hesitate?
Did she demand a plush, cushy hospital to deliver the Baby Jesus, the Savior, Messiah, of the world? Her Savior, her Messiah?
Her carpet was the smell of fresh hay. Yeah, that was her carpet.
And beyond.
Simeon’s prophecy.
“And a sword shall pierce your own soul, too.”
The flight into Egypt.
Poor Joseph. She must’ve thought, “My brave Joseph.”
I prayed some more. I begged God for mercy on the man who cut his hand. I asked that Jesus would show Himself to both men.
I thanked God through the whole ordeal. Because that’s what Scripture says to do.
“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18)
I guess you could say that at the beginning of Advent, the Holy Spirit called me on the carpet.
Though good went to worse, we know how it ends.
We know how it is still being revealed.
When we’re tempted by chocolate, coveting, and we reach for that luscious bite.
When we wander down treacherous, gravelly paths, unsure of our steps.
We grope in the dark, sometimes, looking for the Star.
And we follow.
We seek, like the Wise Men.
And we see …
God’s Glory.
God’s Victory.
God’s Love.
Knowing that it isn’t even half up to us. Everything we have, our joy, our suffering, and our mundane, is through God’s grace.
At the beginning of #Advent, the Holy Spirit called me on the carpet. -@susanswims8 Click To Tweet
Copyright 2018 Susan Anderson
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thejoydaily-blog · 6 years
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John Newton: The Tough Roots of His Habitual Tenderness
John Newton: The Tough Roots of His Habitual Tenderness2001 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors
Resource by John Piper
Topics: Depression, Biography
John Newton was born July 24, 1725 in London to a godly mother and an irreligious, sea-faring father. His mother died when he was six. Left mainly to himself, Newton became a debauched sailor — a miserable outcast on the coast of West Africa for two years; a slave-trading sea-captain until an epileptic seizure ended his career; a well-paid “surveyor of tides” in Liverpool; a loved pastor of two congregations in Olney and London for 43 years; a devoted husband to Mary for 40 years until she died in 1790; a personal friend to William Wilberforce, Charles Simeon, Henry Martyn, William Carey, John Wesley, George Whitefield; and, finally, the author of the most famous hymn in the English language, Amazing Grace. He died on December 21, 1807 at the age of 82.
Durable and Tender
Besides appearing in almost all church hymnals, “‘Amazing Grace’ has been adapted by scores of performers, from country music to gospel to folk singers. . . . Judy Collins sings in St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University, and talks about how this song carried her through the depths of her alcoholism. Jessye Norman sends ‘Amazing Grace’ soaring across the footlights at Manhattan Center stage. While in Nashville, Johnny Cash visits a prison and talks about the hymn’s impact on prisoners. The folk singer, Jean Ritchie, shares a reunion of her extended family in Kentucky where everyone rejoices together. ‘Amazing Grace’ is also featured in the repertory of the Boys Choir of Harlem, which performs the hymn in both New York and Japan.”
So why am I interested in this man? Because one of my great desires is to see Christian pastors be as strong and durable as redwood trees, and as tender and fragrant as a field of clover — unshakably rugged in the “defense and confirmation” of the truth (Philippians 1:7), and relentlessly humble and patient and merciful in dealing with people. Ever since I came to Bethlehem in 1980 this vision of ministry has beckoned me because, soon after I came, I read through Matthew and Mark and put in the margin of my Greek New Testament a “to” (for tough) and a “te” (for tender) beside all of Jesus’s words and deeds that fit one category or the other. What a mixture he was! No one ever spoke like this man.
It seems to me that we are always falling off the horse on one side or the other in this matter of being tough and tender — wimping out on truth when we ought to be lion-hearted, or wrangling with anger when we ought to be weeping. I know it’s a risk to take up this topic and John Newton in a setting like this, where some of you need a good (tender!) kick in the pants to be more courageous, and others of you confuse courage with what William Cowper called “a furious and abusive zeal” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, in The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1 (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1985), p. 123). Oh how rare are the pastors who speak with a tender heart and have a theological backbone of steel.
I dream of such pastors. I would like to be one someday. A pastor whose might in the truth is matched by his meekness. Whose theological acumen is matched by his manifest contrition. Whose heights of intellect are matched by his depths of humility. Yes, and the other way around! A pastor whose relational warmth is matched by his rigor of study, whose bent toward mercy is matched by the vigilance of his biblical discernment, and whose sense of humor is exceeded by the seriousness of his calling.
I dream of great defenders of true doctrine who are mainly known for the delight they have in God and the joy in God that they bring to the people of God — who enter controversy, when necessary, not because they love ideas and arguments, but because they love Christ and the church.
Joy-Spreading Lovers of Doctrine
There’s a picture of this in Acts 15. Have you ever noticed the amazing unity of things here that we tend to tear apart? A false doctrine arises in Antioch: some begin to teach, “Unless you are circumcised . . . you cannot be saved” (verse 1). Paul and Barnabas weigh in with what Luke calls a “not a little dissension and debate” (verse 2). So the church decides to send them off to Jerusalem to get the matter settled. And amazingly, verse 3 says that on their way to the great debate they were “describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren” (verse 3).
This is my vision: The great debaters on their way to a life-and-death show down of doctrinal controversy, so thrilled by the mercy and power of God in the gospel, that they are spreading joy everywhere they go. Oh how many there are today who tell us that controversy only kills joy and ruins the church; and oh how many others there are who, on their way to the controversy, feel no joy and spread no joy in the preciousness of Christ and his salvation. One of the aims of this conference since 1988 has been to say over and over again: it is possible and necessary to be as strong and rugged for truth as a redwood and as tender and fragrant for Christ as a field of clover.
No Perfect Pastors
So now, with the help of the life of John Newton, I want to say it again. And make no mistake: our heroes have feet of clay. There are no perfect pastors. Newton himself warns us:
In my imagination, I sometimes fancy I could [create] a perfect minister. I take the eloquence of –, the knowledge of —, the zeal of —, and the pastoral meekness, tenderness, and piety of —>: Then, putting them all together into one man, I say to myself, “This would be a perfect minister.” Now there is One, who, if he chose to, could actually do this; but he never did it. He has seen fit to do otherwise, and to divide these gifts to every man severally as he will (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 107).
So neither we nor Newton will ever be all that we should be. But oh how much more like the Great Shepherd we should long to be. Newton had his strengths, and I want us to learn from them. At times his strengths were his weakness, but that too will be instructive. Our theme is “the tough roots of John Newton’s habitual tenderness.” His great strength was “speaking the truth in love.” As you listen, listen for what you need, not for what the pastor across town needs. On which side of the horse are you falling off?
I begin with a brief telling of his life, because for Newton, his life was the clearest testimony to the heart-breaking mercy of God he ever saw. Even at the end of his life he is still marveling that he was saved and called to preach the gospel of grace. From his last will and testament we read:
I commit my soul to my gracious God and Savior, who mercifully spared and preserved me, when I was an apostate, a blasphemer, and an infidel, and delivered me from the state of misery on the coast of Africa into which my obstinate wickedness had plunged me; and who has been pleased to admit me (though most unworthy) to preach his glorious gospel (Ibid., p. 90).
This one of the deepest roots of his habitual tenderness. He could not get over the wonder of his own rescue by sheer, triumphant grace.
Newton’s Youth and Childhood
Newton’s mother was a devout Congregationalist and taught her only child, John, the Westminster Catechism and the hymns of Isaac Watts. But she died in 1732 when John was six, and his father’s second wife had no spiritual interest. Newton wrote in his Narrative that he was in school only two of all his growing-up years, from ages eight to ten, at a boarding school in Stratford. So he was mainly self-taught, and that remained true all his life. He never had any formal theological education.
At the age of eleven he began to sail with his father and made five voyages to the Mediterranean until he was 18. He wrote about their relationship: “I am persuaded he loved me, but he seemed not willing that I should know it. I was with him in a state of fear and bondage. His sternness . . . broke and overawed my spirit” (Ibid., p. 2).
A Durable Romance
When he was 17 he met Mary Catlett and fell in love with her. She was 13. For the next seven years of traveling and misery he dreamed about her. “None of the scenes of misery and wickedness I afterwards experienced ever banished her a single hour together from my waking thoughts for the seven following years” (Ibid., p. 6). They did eventually marry when he was 24 and were married for 40 years till she died in 1790. His love for her was extraordinary before and after the marriage. Three years after she died he published a collection of letters he had written to her on three voyages to Africa after they were married.
Moral Ruin and Misery
He was pressed into naval service against his will when he was 18 and sailed away bitterly on the Harwich as a midshipman. His friend and biographer, Richard Cecil, says, “The companions he met with here completed the ruin of his principles” (Ibid., p. 9). Of himself he wrote, “I was capable of anything; I had not the least fear of God before my eyes, nor (so far as I remember) the least sensibility of conscience. . . . My love to [Mary] was now the only restraint I had left” (Ibid., p. 12). On one of his visits home he deserted the ship and was caught, “confined two days in the guard-house; . . . kept a while in irons . . . publicly stripped and whipt, degraded from his office” (Ibid., p.10).
When he was twenty years old he was put off his ship on some small islands just southeast of Sierra Leone, West Africa, and for about a year and a half he lived as a virtual slave in almost destitute circumstances. The wife of his master despised him and treated him cruelly. He wrote that even the African slaves would try to smuggle him food from their own slim rations (Ibid., p. 16). Later in life he marveled at the seemingly accidental way a ship put anchor on his island after seeing some smoke, and just happened to be the ship with a captain who know Newton’s father and managed to free him from his bondage (Ibid., p. 78). That was February, 1747. He was not quite 21, and God was about to close in.
The Precious Storm at Sea
The ship had business on the seas for over a year. Then on March 21, 1748, on his way home to England in the North Atlantic, God acted to rescue the “African blasphemer.” On this day 57 years later, in 1805, when Newton was 80 years old, he wrote in his diary, “March 21, 1805. Not well able to write. But I endeavor to observe the return of this day with Humiliation, Prayer and Praise” (D. Bruce Hindmarsh, John Newton and the English Evangelical Tradition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001), p. 13). He had marked the day as sacred and precious for over half a century.
He awoke in the night to a violent storm as his room began to fill with water. As he ran for the deck, the captain stopped him and had him fetch a knife. The man who went up in his place was immediately washed overboard (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 25). He was assigned to the pumps and heard himself say, “If this will not do, the Lord have mercy upon us” (Ibid., p. 26). It was the first time he had expressed the need for mercy in many years.
He worked the pumps from three in the morning until noon, slept for an hour, and then took the helm and steered the ship till midnight. At the wheel he had time to think back over his life and his spiritual condition. At about six o’clock the next evening it seemed as though there might be hope. “I thought I saw the hand of God displayed in our favour. I began to pray: I could not utter the prayer of faith; I could not draw near to a reconciled God, and call him Father . . . the comfortless principles of infidelity were deeply riveted; . . . . The great question now was, how to obtain faith” (Ibid., p. 28).
He found a Bible and got help from Luke 11:13, which promises the Holy Spirit to those who ask. He reasoned, “If this book be true, the promise in this passage must be true likewise. I have need of that very Spirit, by which the whole was written, in order to understand it aright. He has engaged here to give that Spirit to those who ask: I must therefore pray for it; and, if it be of God, he will make good on his own word” (Ibid.).
He spent all the rest of the voyage in deep seriousness as he read and prayed over the Scriptures. On April 8 they anchored in Ireland, and the next day the storm at sea was so violent they would have surely been sunk. Newton described what God had done in those two weeks:
Thus far I was answered, that before we arrived in Ireland, I had a satisfactory evidence in my own mind of the truth of the Gospel, as considered in itself, and of its exact suitableness to answer all my needs. . . . I stood in need of an Almighty Savior; and such a one I found described in the New Testament. Thus far the Lord had wrought a marvelous thing: I was no longer an infidel: I heartily renounced my former profaneness, and had taken up some right notions; was seriously disposed, and sincerely touched with a sense of the undeserved mercy I had received, in being brought safe through so many dangers. I was sorry for my past misspent life, and purposed an immediate reformation. I was quite freed from the habit of swearing, which seemed to have been as deeply rooted in me as a second nature. Thus, to all appearance, I was a new man (Ibid., p. 32).
It was a remarkable change but, from his later mature standpoint, Newton did not view it as full conversion.
I was greatly deficient in many respects. I was in some degree affected with a sense of my enormous sins, but I was little aware of the innate evils of my heart. I had no apprehension of . . . the hidden life of a Christian, as it consists in communion with God by Jesus Christ: a continual dependence on him. . . . I acknowledged the Lord’s mercy in pardoning what was past, but depended chiefly upon my own resolution to do better for the time to come. . . . I cannot consider myself to have been a believer (in the full sense of the word) till a considerable time afterwards” (Ibid., pp. 32–33). For six years after this time, he said he had no “Christian friend or faithful minister to advise me” (Ibid., p. 33). He became the captain of a slave-trading ship and went to sea again until December, 1749. In his mature years he came to feel intense remorse for his participation in the slave trade and joined William Wilberforce in opposing it. Thirty years after leaving the sea he wrote an essay, Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade, which closed with a reference to “a commerce so iniquitous, so cruel, so oppressive, so destructive, as the African Slave Trade!” (John Newton, “Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade,” in The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 6 (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1985), p. 123)
On February 1, 1750 he married Mary. That June his father drowned while swimming in the Hudson Bay. He went on three long voyages after the marriage and left Mary alone for 10 to 13 months each time. Then in November, 1754 he had an epileptic seizure and never sailed again.
Self-Taught
In the years between his seafaring and his pastorate at Olney he was a Surveyor of Tides in Liverpool and a very active ministerial lay person. He interacted with evangelicals from both the Anglican and Independent wings of the Awakening. He was especially taken by George Whitefield and “was even tagged with the epithet ‘Little Whitefield’ for his constant attendance upon the evangelist” (D. Bruce Hindmarsh, “‘I Am a Sort of Middle-Man’”: The Politically Correct Evangelicalism of John Newton,” in Amazing Grace: Evangelicalism in Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States, ed. by George Rawlyk and Mark Noll (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993), p. 32). He devoted himself to a rigorous program of self-study and applied himself to Greek and Hebrew and Syriac. He said, “I was in some hopes that perhaps, sooner or later, [Christ] might call me into his service. I believe it was a distant hope of this that determined me to study the original Scriptures” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 50. Later in his ministry, Newton counseled a younger minister, “The original Scriptures well deserve your pains, and will richly repay them” (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol.1., p. 143). Concerning the early years of studying the languages he says, “You must not think that I have attained, were ever aimed at, a critical skill in any of these: . . . In the Hebrew, I can read the Historical Books and Psalms with tolerable ease; but, in the Prophetical and difficult parts, I am frequently obliged to have recourse to lexicons, etc. However, I know so much as to be able, with such helps as are at hand, to judge for myself the meaning of any passage I have occasion to consult” [Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, pp. 49-50]).
Along with these he was reading “the best writers in divinity” in Latin and English and French (which he taught himself while at sea), but gave himself mainly to the Scriptures (Ibid., p. 50). The upshot theologically of this study, together with his personal experience of grace, is summed up by Bruce Hindmarsh: “By the early 1760’s Newton’s theological formation was complete, and there would be few significant realignments of his essential beliefs. He was a five-point Calvinist” (D. Bruce Hindmarsh, “‘I Am a Sort of Middle-Man,’” p. 42). But the spirit of his Calvinism was sweet and tender, which is one of the great concerns of this message.
Two Pastorates, No Children, and Heaven
In 1764 he accepted the call to the pastorate of the Church of England parish in Olney and served there for almost 16 years. Then he accepted the call at age 54 to St. Mary’s Woolnoth in London where he began his 27-year ministry on December 8, 1779. The last time he was in the pulpit of St. Mary’s was in October, 1806 when he was 81 years old. His eyes and ears were failing and his good friend Richard Cecil suggested he cease preaching when he turned eighty, to which Newton responded, “What! Shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 88)
John and Mary had no children of their own, but adopted two nieces. When Mary died 17 years before John, Newton lived with the family of one of these nieces and was cared for by her as well as by any daughter. He died December 21, 1807 at the age of 82. A month before he died he expressed his settled faith:
It is a great thing to die; and, when flesh and heart fail, to have God for the strength of our heart, and our portion forever. I know whom I have believed, and he is able to keep that which I have committed against that great day. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me that day (Ibid., p. 89).
The best way to learn about these pastorates is to shift now from a narrative of his life to the theme of this message, namely, “The Tough Roots of John Newton’s Habitual Tenderness.” This tenderness and these roots are seen in this remarkable pastoral ministry for over 40 years.
Newton’s Habitual Tenderness
The phrase “habitual tenderness” is Newton’s own phrase to describe the way a believer should live. In writing to a friend he describes the believer’s life: “He believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him an habitual tenderness and gentleness of spirit” (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1, p. 170). It is plain already what some of the roots of tenderness are in that sentence, but before we look at them more closely let’s get some snapshots of this man’s “habitual tenderness.”
It will be helpful to speak of persons and patterns. That is, to whom was he tender; and what form did his tenderness take?
Loving People at First Sight
Richard Cecil said, “Mr. Newton could live no longer than he could love” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 95). His love to people was the signature of his life. This was true of groups of people and individual people. He loved perishing people and he loved his own flock of redeemed people.
Whoever . . . has tasted of the love Christ, and has known, by his own experience, the need and the worth of redemption, is enabled, Yea, he is constrained, to love his fellow creatures. He loves them at first sight; and, if the providence of God commits a dispensation of the gospel, and care of souls to him, he will feel the warmest emotions of friendship and tenderness, while he beseeches them by the tender mercies of God, and even while he warns them by his terrors (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 5, p. 132, emphasis added).
It’s the phrase “at first sight” that stands out in this quote. Newton’s first reflex was to love lost people. When he speaks to unbelievers he speaks like this:
A well-wisher to your soul assures you, that whether you know these things or not, they are important realities. . . . Oh hear the warning voice! Flee from the wrath to come. Pray thee that the eyes of your mind may be opened, then you will see your danger, and gladly follow the shining light of the Word (Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse (Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2000). p. 351. He had a special concern for sailors and lamented their neglect in evangelism and Christian publishing. He eventually wrote a preface for a devotional book designed especially for sailors. See Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, pp. 76–77, 347–348).
Suffer the Little Children to Come
One clear mark of Christlike tenderness is love for children. “Suffer the little children to come to me and do not hinder them” (Mark 10:14) is the badge of tenderness that Jesus wore. When Newton came to Olney one of the first things he did was begin a meeting for children on Thursday afternoons. He met with them himself and gave them assignments and spoke to them from the Bible. At one point he said, “I suppose I have 200 that will constantly attend” (Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, p. 143). And what made it more remarkable to his parishioners was that the meetings were open to all the children, not just the members of his church.
Josiah Bull said, “The young especially had a warm place in his affectionate heart. . . . Mr. Jay . . . relates that once a little sailor-boy with his father called on Mr. Newton. He took the boy between his knees, told him that he had been much at sea himself, and then sang him part of a naval song” (Josiah Bull, “But Now I See”: [The Life of John Newton]( *( https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/life-of-john-newton/), (Edinburgh: The Banner of to Truth Trust, 1998, original 1868), pp. 366-367).
The Flocks
For forty-three years his two flocks had an especially tender place in his heart. Richard Cecil said that Newton’s preaching was often not well prepared, nor careful or “graceful” in delivery. But, he said, “He possessed . . . so much affection for his people, and so much zeal for their best interests, that the defect of his manner was little consideration with his constant hearers” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 92). Once he complained in a letter of his busyness: “I have seldom one-hour free from interruption. Letters, that must be answered, visitants that must be received, business that must be attended to. I have a good many sheep and lambs to look after, sick and afflicted souls dear to the Lord; and therefore, whatever stands still, these must not be neglected” (Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, p. 139, emphasis added).
Minister to the Depressed
Newton’s tenderness touched individuals as well as groups. The most remarkable instance of this was, of course, William Cowper, the mentally-ill poet and hymn writer who came to live in Olney during twelve of Newton’s sixteen years there. Newton took Cowper into his home for five months during one season and fourteen months during another when he was so depressed it was hard for him to function alone. In fact, Richard Cecil said that over Newton’s whole lifetime, “His house was an asylum for the perplexed or afflicted” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 95). Newton says of Cowper’s stay: “For nearly 12 years we were seldom separated for seven hours at a time, when we were awake, and at home: the first six I passed daily admiring and aiming to imitate him: during the second six, I walked pensively with him in the valley of the shadow of death” (Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, p. 125).
When Cowper’s brother died in 1770, Newton resolved to help him by collaborating with him in writing hymns for the church. These came to be known as The Olney Hymns. But soon Cowper was emotionally unable to carry through his part of the plan. Newton pressed on writing one hymn a week without Cowper until there were well over 300. Sixty-seven are attributed to William Cowper (Ibid). The last hymn that Cowper composed for the Olney Hymns was “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” which he entitled “Light Shining out of Darkness.” The next day, in January 1773, he sank into the blackest depression and never went to hear Newton preach again. Newton preached his funeral sermon seven years later and explained what happened and how he responded.
He drank tea with me in the afternoon. The next morning a violent storm overtook him. . . . I used to visit him often but no argument could prevail with him to come and see me. He used to point with his finger to the church and say: “You know the comfort I have had there and how I have seen the glory of the Lord in His house, and until I go there I’ll not go anywhere else.” He was one of those who came out of great tribulations. He suffered much here for twenty-seven years, but eternity is long enough to make amends for all. For what is all he endured in this life, when compared with the rest which remaineth for the children of God (Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, pp. 129–130).
What would most of us have done with a depressed person who could scarcely move out of his house? William Jay summed up Newton’s response: “He had the tenderest disposition; and always judiciously regarded his friend’s depression and despondency as a physical effect, for the removal of which he prayed, but never reasoned or argued with him concerning it” (Ibid., p. 282).
Satan Will Not Love You for This
Another example of his tenderness toward an individual is the case of the missionary, Henry Martyn. The young Martyn was very discouraged from some criticism he had received of his “insipid and inanimate manner in the pulpit.” He came to Newton, who blocked every one of Martyn’s discouragements with hope. Martyn wrote in his journal (April 25, 1805) that when Newton heard of the criticism he had received,
He said he had heard of a clever gardener, who would sow seeds when the meat was put down to roast, and engage to produce a salad by to the time it was ready, but the Lord did not sow oaks in this way. On my saying that perhaps I should never live to see much fruit; he answered I should have the birds-eye view of it, which would be much better. When I spoke of the opposition that I should be likely to meet with, he said, he supposed Satan would not love me for what I was about to do. The old man prayed afterwards with sweet simplicity (Ibid., p. 184).
If there were time we could linger over another instance of remarkable patience and tenderness toward Thomas Scott, who was a liberal, “almost Socinian” clergyman in a neighboring parish. Scott made jest of Newton’s evangelical convictions. But in the end Newton’s mingling of hope-filled truth and kindness broke Scott’s oppostion. Scott commented later: “Under discouraging circumstances, I had occasion to call upon him; and his discourse so comforted and edified me, that my heart, being by this means relieved from its burden, became susceptible of affection for him” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 67). Scott was personally and theologically transformed and wrote a book called The Force of Truth and became the minister in Olney when Newton left.
Besides focusing on the persons who benefited from Newton’s habitual tenderness, it will be helpful to look too at what we might call some of the patterns of his tenderness.
Neither Driven Away nor Carried Away
One way to describe the pattern of Newton’s tenderness is to say that it was patient and perceptive. He captures this balance when he says, “Apollos met with two candid people in the church: they neither ran away because he was legal, nor were carried away because he was eloquent” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 101). In other words, Newton was not driven away by people’s imperfections and he was not overly impressed by their gifts. He was patient and perceptive. He saw beneath the surface that repelled and the surface that attracted. He once wrote to a friend, “Beware, my friend, of mistaking the ready exercise of gifts for the exercise of grace” (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1, p. 164). Being gracious to people did not mean being gullible.
Defeating Heresy, Establishing Truth
The most illuminating way I know to illustrate Newton’s deeply rooted habitual tenderness is in the way he handled doctrinal and moral truth that he cherished deeply. Here we see the very roots of the tenderness (truth) at work in the fruit of tenderness (love). Patience and perception guided him between doctrinaire intellectualism on the one side and doctrinal indifference and carelessness on the other side.
With respect to patience Newton said:
I have been thirty years forming my own views; and, in the course of this time, some of my hills have sunk, and some of my valleys have risen: but, how unreasonable within me to expect all this should take place in another person; and that, in the course of a year or two (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 101).
He had a passion for propagating the truth, even the whole Reformed vision of God as he saw it. But he did not believe controversy served the purpose. “I see the unprofitableness of controversy in the case of Job and his friends: for, if God had not interposed, had they lived to this day they would have continued the dispute” (Ibid., p. 106). In a letter to a friend he warned that if, we do not look continually to the Lord, controversy will obstruct communion with God. “Though you set out in defense of the cause of God, if you are not continually looking to the Lord to keep you , it may become your own cause and awaken in you those tempers which are inconsistent with true peace of mind and will surely obstruct communion with God” [The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1, pp. 273-274]). So he labored to avoid controversy and to replace it with positive demonstrations of Biblical truth. “My principal method of defeating heresy, is, by establishing truth. One proposes to fill a bushel with tares: now, if I can fill it first with wheat, I shall defy his attempts” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 100). He knew that receiving the greatest truths required supernatural illumination. From this he inferred that his approach should be patient and unobtrusive:
I am a friend of peace; and being deeply convinced that no one can profitably understand the great truths and doctrines of the gospel any farther than he is taught of God, I have not a wish to obtrude my own tenets upon others, in a way of controversy; yet I do not think myself bound to conceal them (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 3, p. 3030).
The Temper of Tenderness in Telling the Truth
Newton had a strong, clear Calvinistic theology. He loved the vision of God in true Biblical Calvinism: In the preface to The Olney Hymns, he wrote, “The views I have received of the doctrines of grace are essential to my peace; I could not live comfortably a day, or an hour, without them. I likewise believe . . . them to be friendly to holiness, and to have a direct influence in producing and maintaining a gospel conversation; and therefore I must not be ashamed of them” (Ibid). But he believed “that the cause of truth itself may be discredited by an improper management.” Therefore, he says, “The Scripture, which . . . teaches us *what we are to say, is equally explicit as to the temper and Spirit in which we are to speak. Though I had knowledge of all mysteries, and the tongue of an angel to declare them, I could hope for little acceptance or usefulness, unless I was to speak ‘in love’” (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 5, p. 131. Newton took Ephesians 4:15 (“speaking the truth in love”) as his inaugural text when he came to St. Mary’s (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 5, pp. 126–136). Richard Cecil describes how this text was fleshed out in Newton’s ministry: “His zeal in propagating the truth . . . was not more conspicuous, than the tenderness of the spirit as to the manner of his maintaining and delivering it. He was found constantly speaking the truth in love; and in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure would give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. There was a gentleness, a candour, and a forbearance in him, that I do not recollect to have seen in an equal degree among his brethren . . .” [Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 122]).
Of all people who engage in controversy, we, who are called Calvinists, are most expressly bound by our own principles to the exercise of gentleness and moderation. . . . The Scriptural maximum, that “The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God,” is verified by daily observation. If our zeal is embittered by expressions of anger, invective, or scorn, we may think we are doing service to the cause of truth, when in reality we shall only bring it into discredit (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1, p. 271).
He had noticed that one of the most “Calvinistic” texts in the New Testament called for tenderness and patience with opponents, because the decisive work was God’s:
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24, RSV)
So, for the sake of repentance and knowledge of truth, Newton’s pattern of tenderness in doctrinal matters was to shun controversy.
Commending Opponents to God in Prayer
The sovereignty of God in freeing people from error or from unbelief also made prayer central to Newton’s pattern of tenderness. In a letter about controversy, he wrote a friend:
As to your opponent, I wish, that, before you set pen to paper against him, and during the whole time you are preparing your answer, you may commend him by earnest prayer to the Lord’s teaching and blessing. This practice will have a direct tendency to conciliate your heart to love and pity him; and such a disposition will have a good influence upon every page you write. . . . (If he is a believer,) in a little while you will meet in heaven; he will then be dearer to you than the nearest friend you have upon earth is to you now. Anticipate that period in your thoughts. . . . (If he is an unconverted person,) he is a more proper object of your compassion than your anger. Alas! “He knows not what he does.” But you know who has made you to differ (Ibid., p. 269).
Like Sugar in His Tea
Newton cared more about influencing people with truth for their good than winning debates. William Jay recounts how Newton described the place of his Calvinism. He was having tea one day with Newton. Newton said, “‘I am more of a Calvinist than anything else; but I use my Calvinism in my writings and my preaching as I use this sugar’ — taking a lump, and putting it into his tea-cup, and stirring it, adding, ‘I do not give it alone, and whole; but mixed and diluted’” (D. Bruce Hindmarsh, “‘I Am a Sort of Middle-Man,’” p. 52). In other words, his Calvinism permeates all that he writes and teaches and serves to sweeten everything. Few people like to eat sugar cubes, but they like the effect of sugar when it permeates it right proportion.
So Newton did not serve up the “five points” by themselves, but blended them in with everything he taught. This government was a key part of how his pattern of tenderness developed in dealing with people’s doctrinal differences. Bruce Hindmarsh remarks, “It is not surprising, therefore, that he wrote principally biographies, sermons, letters, and hymnody — not treatises or polemical tracts, much less a ‘body of divinity’” (Ibid.).
Misgivings About Newton’s Approach
Did Newton strike the right balance of a patient, tender-hearted, non-controversial pattern of ministry and a serious vigilance against harmful error? Perhaps rather than indict Newton in particular, we should speak generally about the possible weakness in his approach. For example, William Plummer has misgivings:
The pious and amiable John Newton made it a rule never to attack error, nor warn his people against it. He said: ‘The best method of defeating heresy is by establishing the truth. One proposes to fill a bushel with tares; now if I can fill it first with wheat, I shall defeat his attempts.’ Surely the truth ought to be abundantly set forth. But this is not sufficient. The human mind is not like a bushel. It may learn much truth and yet go after folly. The effect of Mr. Newton’s practice was unhappy. He was hardly dead till many of his people went far astray. Paul says: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). The more subtle, bitter, and numerous the foes of the truth are the more fearless and decided should its friends be. The life of truth is more important than the life of any man or any theories (William S. Plummer, The Christian, to which is added, False Doctrines and False Teachers: How to Know Them and How to Treat Them(Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1997), p. 22).
Bruce Hindmarsh has misgivings at another level. “While it is no disgrace that Newton was more a pastor than a theologian, it is one of the most serious indictments of the English Evangelical Revival that it produced so few theologians of stature” (D. Bruce Hindmarsh, “‘I Am a Sort of Middle-Man,’” p. 53). In other words, if our zeal for peace and conciliation and heart-felt affection for God and for people creates a milieu in which rigorous, critical thinking and theology will not flourish, we may hurt the cause of Christ in generations to come while seeming to make the cause more pleasing now.
He Could Draw a Line
I am not sure that Newton is to be faulted on these counts, even if the general concern is legitimate. It is true that John Wesley wrote to him, “You appear to be designed by divine providence for an healer of breaches, a reconciler of honest but prejudiced men, and an uniter (happy work!) of the children of God” (Ibid., p. 31). But it is also true that the relationship with Wesley was broken off in 1762 because of the controversy, not over election or perseverance, but over perfectionism.
(Ibid., p. 43. In Liverpool, 51 Methodists claimed instantaneous and entire sanctification. “While Newton had been able to suppress his differences with Wesley over predestination, the extent of the atonement, and final perseverance, he was not able to accept the behavior of Wesley’s followers in the wake of the perfectionism revival. The claim to perfection, however hedged about by talk of grace, seemed in many cases no more than an enthusiastic self-righteousness that belied trusting wholly in the merits of Christ for redemption. Newton had earlier worked out a formula that would maintain evangelical solidarity with Arminians by saying, ‘Though a man does not accord with my view of election, yet if he gives me good evidence, that he is effectually called of God, he is my brother’ [The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 6, p. 199]. He could not, however, make any rapprochement of with Wesley’s growing stress upon perfectionism. The behavior of his followers raised the specter of a Pelagianism that lay outside his understanding of evangelical theology, unduly stressing human agency in salvation.”)
It is true that Richard Cecil criticized his hero “that he did not always administer consolation . . . with sufficient discrimination. His talent,” he said, “did not lie in discerning of spirits” (Cecil writes, “I never saw him so much moved, as when any friend endeavored to correct his errors in this respect. His credulity seemed to arise from the consciousness he had of his own integrity; and from the sort of parental fondness which he bore to all his friends, real or pretended. I knew one, since dead, whom he thus described, while living: ‘He is certainly an odd man, and has his failings; but he has great integrity, and I hope is going to heaven:’ whereas, almost all who knew him thought the man should go first into the pillory!” [Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, pp. 94–95]). But it is also true that Newton was unwavering in his commitment to holiness and doctrinal fidelity and was used by God to bring Thomas Scott from the brink of Socianism to solid Reformed Christianity.
Pastors simply cannot devote much of their time to blowing the trumpet for rigorous intellectual theology. They should see its usefulness and necessity and encourage its proper place. But they cannot be faulted that they mainly have flocks to love and hearts to change. Defending the truth is a crucial part of that, but it is not the main part. Holding the truth, and permeating all his ministry with the greatness and sweetness of truth for the transformation of our people’s lives is the main part of his ministry.
The Eye and Tongue of a Poet
One other aspect of the pattern of Newton’s tenderness calls for attention. It is the language he used in making the truth winsome and healing. Newton had the eye and heart and tongue of a spiritual poet, and this gave his speech a penetrating power that many Reformed preachers desperately need. He wrote hymns and poems for his people and for special occasions. Instead of excessive abstraction in his preaching, there was the concrete word and illustration. Instead of generalizing, there was the specific bird or flower or apple or shabby old man.
He had an eye that saw everything as full of divine light for ministry to people. For example, in his diary for July 30, 1776 Newton describes his watching the eclipse of the moon.
Tonight I attended an eclipse of the moon. How great, O Lord, are thy works! With what punctuality do the heavenly bodies fulfill their courses. . . . I thought, my Lord, of Thine eclipse. The horrible darkness which overwhelmed Thy mind when Thou saidst, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” Ah, sin was the cause — my sins — yet I do not hate sin or loathe myself as I ought” (Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, p. 134).
Oh how we preachers need eyes like this. Seeing God and his ways everywhere in nature and life and making our communications full of concreteness from daily life.
Newton’s language was full of this kind of thing. Most of us tend to gravitate to abstractions. We say, “Men tend to choose lesser pleasures and reject greater ones.” But Newton says, “The men of this world are children. Offer a child and apple and bank note, he will doubtless choose the apple” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 107). We say, “Men are foolish to fret so much over material things when they will inherit eternal riches.” But Newton says:
Suppose a man was going to New York to take possession of a large estate, and his [carriage] should break down a mile before he got to the city, which obliged him to walk the rest of the way; what a fool we should think him, if we saw him ringing his hands, and blubbering out all the remaining mile, “My [carriage] is broken! My [carriage] is broken!” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 108).
This is not merely a matter of style. It is a matter of life and vitality. It is a sign to your people that your mind is healthy and a means to awakening their health. Sick minds can only deal in abstractions and cannot get outside themselves to be moved by concrete, external wonders. And you will never be a tender person toward your people if you merely communicate the heaviness of unhealthy concepts and theories rather than the stuff of the world in which they live. This kind of communication was part and parcel of his winsome, humble, compelling tenderness.
The Health of Natural Humor
And yes there is a crucial place for humor in this pattern of tenderness — not the contrived levity of so many “communicators” today that know how to work an audience — but the balanced, earthy experience of the way the world really is in its horror and humor. There would be more real laughter if there were more real tears. “One day by a strong sneeze he shook off a fly which had perched upon his gnomon, and immediately said: ‘Now if this fly keeps a diary, he’ll write Today a terrible earthquake.’” At another time, when asked how he slept, he instantly replied: “I’m like a beef-steak — once turned, and I am done.” (Josiah Bull, “But Now I See”: The Life of John Newton, p. 370. The meaning of “gnomon” in 1803, according to the Shorter Oxford Dictionary, included “nose.” That is probably Newton’s reference. “Striking illustrations, happy turns of thought, racy and telling expressions, often enriched Mr. Newton’s extempore discourses.” Another instance of Newton’s humor is seen in a letter to Thomas Scott who became the Vicar in Olney when Newton left. Newton wrote to him, “Methinks I see you sitting in my old corner in the study. I will warn you of one thing. That room — (do not start) — used to be haunted. I cannot say I ever saw or heard anything with my bodily organs, but I have been sure there were evil spirits in it and very near me — a spirit of folly, a spirit of indolence, a spirit of unbelief, and many others — indeed their name is legion. But why should I say they are in your study when they followed me to London, and still pester me here?” [Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, p. 145].) What these quips indicate is a healthy mind awake to the world and free from bondage to morose speculations or introspection. This kind of mental health is essential for a pastor to be tender, winsome minister to the whole range of human experience.
Realism about the Limits of This Life
Few things will tend to make you more tender than to be much in the presence of suffering and death. “My course of study,” Newton said, “like that of a surgeon, has principally consisted in walking the hospital” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, p. 100). His biblical assessment of the misery that he saw was that some, but not much, of it can be removed in this life. He would give his life to bring as much relief and peace for time and eternity as he could. But he would not be made hard and cynical by the irremediable miseries like Cowper’s mental illness. (See above, note 40. Another case of constitutional depression (as he judged it) besides Cowper’s was that of Hannah Wilberforce. Newton wrote to her in a letter dated July, 1764, “Things which abate the comfort and alacrity of our Christian profession are rather impediments than properly sinful, and will not be imputed to us by him who knows our frame, and remembers that we are but dust. Thus, to have an infirm memory, to be subject to disordered, irregular, or low spirits, are faults of the constitution, in which the will has no share, though they are all burdensome and oppressive, and sometimes needlessly so by our charging ourselves with guilt on their account. The same may be observed of the unspeakable and fierce suggestions of Satan, with which some people are pestered, but which shall be laid to him from whom they proceed, and not to them who are troubled and terrified, because they are forced to feel them” [Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, p. 126]). “I endeavor to walk through the world as a physician goes through Bedlam [the famous insane asylum]: the patients make a noise, pester him with impertinence, and hinder him in his business; but he does the best he can, and so gets through” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, p. 103). In other words, his tender patience and persistence in caring for difficult people came, in part, from a very sober and realistic view of what to expect from this world.
Just as we saw at the beginning there are no perfect ministers, so there are no perfect lay people. This must not discourage us, but only make us patient as we wait for the day when all things will be new. Newton gives beautiful, concrete expression to this conviction as he watches the dawn outside his window.
The day is now breaking: how beautiful its appearance! how welcome the expectation of the approaching sun! It is this thought makes the dawn agreeable, that it is the presage of a brighter light; otherwise, if we expect no more day than it is this minute, we should rather complain of darkness, than rejoice in the early beauties of the morning. Thus the Life of grace is the dawn of immortality: beautiful beyond expression, if compared with the night and thick darkness which formerly covered us; yet faint, indistinct, and unsatisfying, in comparison of the glory which shall be revealed.”
(The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1, p. 319. Another example of the limits of this age that make us patient with people’s failings is the God-ordained necessity of temptations. He asks, “Why the Lord permits some of his people to suffer such violent assaults from the powers of darkness” [Ibid. 226]. “Though the Lord sets such bounds to [Satan’s] rage as he cannot pass, and limits him both as to manner and time, he is often pleased to suffer him to discover his malice to a considerable degree; not to gratify Satan, but to humble and prove them; to show them what is in their hearts, to make them truly sensible of their immediate and absolute dependence upon him [see p. 232], and to quicken them if to watchfulness and prayer” [p. 227]. He goes on to suggest that another design of temptation is “for the manifestation of his power, and wisdom, and grace, in supporting the soul under such pressures as are evidently beyond its own strength to sustain” [p. 228]. He gives Job as an illustration: “the experiment answered many good purposes: Job was humbled, yet approved; his friends were instructed; Satan was confuted, and disappointed; and the wisdom and mercy of the Lord, in his darkest dispensations toward his people, were gloriously illustrated” [p. 228]. If the Lord has any children who are not exercised with spiritual temptations, I am sure they are but poorly qualified to ‘speak a word in season to them that are weary’” [p. 231]). This sober realism about what we can expect from this fallen world is a crucial root of habitual tenderness in the life of John Newton.
All-Pervasive Humility and Gratitude at Having Been Saved
This he comes back to more than anything as the source of tenderness. Till the day he died he never ceased to be amazed that, as he says at age 72, “such a wretch should not only be spared and pardoned, but reserved to the honour of preaching thy Gospel, which he had blasphemed and renounced . . . this is wonderful indeed! The more thou hast exalted me, the more I ought to abase myself” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 86). He wrote his own epitaph:
JOHN NEWTON,
Clerk, Once an Infidel and Libertine, A Servant of Slaves in Africa, Was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST, Preserved, restored, pardoned, And appointed to preach the Faith He had long laboured to destroy, Near 16 years at Olney in Bucks; And 28 years in this church.
When he wrote his Narrative in the early 1760s he said, “I know not that I have ever since met so daring a blasphemer” (Ibid., p. 220). The hymn we know as “Amazing Grace” was written to accompany a New Year’s sermon based on 1 Chronicles 17:16, “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?” (Richard Cecil, The Life of John Newton, edited by Marylynn Rousse, pp. 365–368)
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind but now I see.
The effect of this amazement is tenderness toward others. “[The ‘wretch’ who has been saved by grace] believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him an habitual tenderness and gentleness Spirit. Humble under a sense of much forgiveness to himself, he finds it easy to forgive others” (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1, p. 170).
He puts it in a picture:
A company of travelers fall into a pit: one of them gets a passenger to draw him out. Now he should not be angry with the rest for falling in; nor because they are not yet out, as he is. He did not pull himself out: instead, therefore, of reproaching them, he should shew them pity. . . . A man, truly illuminated, will no more despise others, then Bartimaeus, after his own eyes were opened, would take a stick, and beat every blind man he met (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 105).
Glad-hearted, grateful lowliness and brokenness as a saved “wretch” was probably the most prominent root of Newton’s habitual tenderness with people.
Peaceful Confidence in the Pervasive, Loving Providence of God
In order to maintain love and tenderness that thinks more about the other person’s need than your own comforts, you must have an unshakable hope that the sadness of your life will work for your everlasting good. Otherwise you will give in, turn a deaf ear to need and say, “Let us eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Newton found this peace and confidence in the all-governing providence of God over good and evil. He describes his own experience when he describes the believer:
And his faith upholds him under all trials, by assuring him, that every dispensation is under the direction of his Lord; that chastisements are a token of his love; that the season, measure, and continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by Infinite Wisdom, and designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall be afforded him, according to his day (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1, p. 169).
This keeps him from being overwhelmed with anger and bitterness and resentment when he is assaulted with pressures and disappointments. It is as practical as pastoral interruptions: “When I hear a knock at my study door, I hear a message from God. It may be a lesson of instruction; perhaps a lesson of patience: but, since it is his message, it must be interesting” (Richard Cecil, Memoirs of the Rev. John Newton, p. 76).He knew that even his temptations were ordered by the sovereign goodness of God and that not to have any was dangerous for the soul. He approved of Samuel Rutherford’s comment, that “there is no temptation like being without temptation” (The Works of the Rev. John Newton, Vol. 1, p. 259).
And this same faith in God’s gracious providence to help him profit from the painful things in life, also spares from the pleasant things in life that would deceive him that they are best and choke off the superior pleasures he has in God. If the world triumphs in this way, we will lose our joy in Christ and his mercy, and that will be the end of all Christ-exalting tenderness. So it is a crucial root of his habitual tenderness when he says, “By faith [the believer] triumphs over [the world’s] smiles and enticements: he sees that all that is in the world, suited to gratify the desires of the flesh or the eye, is not only to be avoided as sinful, but as incompatible with his best pleasures” (Ibid., pp. 171–172).
John Newton’s habitual tenderness is rooted in the sober realism of the limits of redemption in this fallen world where “we groan awaiting the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23); the all-pervasive humility and gratitude for having been a blasphemer of the gospel and now being a heaven-bound preacher of it; and the unshakable confidence that the all-governing providence of God will make every experience turn for his good so that he doesn’t spend his life murmuring, “My carriage is broken, my carriage is broken,” but sings, “Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
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31st December (Sunday) >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada) for The Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph.
(Liturgical Colour: White) Either First Reading Genesis 15:1-6,21:1-3 The word of the Lord was spoken to Abram in a vision, ‘Have no fear, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great.’    ‘My Lord,’ Abram replied ‘what do you intend to give me? I go childless...’ Then Abram said, ‘See, you have given me no descendants; some man of my household will be my heir.’ And then this word of the Lord was spoken to him, ‘He shall not be your heir; your heir shall be of your own flesh and blood.’ Then taking him outside he said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.    The Lord dealt kindly with Sarah as he had said, and did what he had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time God had promised. Abraham named the son born to him Isaac, the son to whom Sarah had given birth. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Or Alternative First Reading Ecclesiasticus 3:3-7,14-17 The Lord honours the father in his children,    and upholds the rights of a mother over her sons. Whoever respects his father is atoning for his sins,    he who honours his mother is like someone amassing a fortune. Whoever respects his father will be happy with children of his own,    he shall be heard on the day when he prays. Long life comes to him who honours his father,    he who sets his mother at ease is showing obedience to the Lord. My son, support your father in his old age,    do not grieve him during his life. Even if his mind should fail, show him sympathy,    do not despise him in your health and strength; for kindness to a father shall not be forgotten    but will serve as reparation for your sins. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Either Responsorial Psalm Psalm 127(128):1-5 R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! O blessed are those who fear the Lord    and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat.    You will be happy and prosper. R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! Your wife will be like a fruitful vine    in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive,    around your table. R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! Indeed thus shall be blessed    the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion    all the days of your life! R/ O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! Or Alternative Responsorial Psalm Psalm 104(105):1-6,8-9 R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever. Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name,    make known his deeds among the peoples. O sing to him, sing his praise;    tell all his wonderful works! R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever. Be proud of his holy name,    let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. Consider the Lord and his strength;    constantly seek his face. R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever. Remember the wonders he has done,    his miracles, the judgements he spoke. O children of Abraham, his servant,    O sons of the Jacob he chose. R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever. He remembers his covenant for ever,    his promise for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham,    the oath he swore to Isaac. R/ He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever. Either Second Reading Colossians 3:12-21 You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.    Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.    Wives, give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and treat them with gentleness. Children, be obedient to your parents always, because that is what will please the Lord. Parents, never drive your children to resentment or you will make them feel frustrated. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Or Alternative Second Reading Colossians 3:12-17 You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.    Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Or Alternative Second Reading Hebrews 11:8,11-12,17-19 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore.    It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Gospel Acclamation Hebrews 1:1-2 Alleluia, alleluia! At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. Alleluia! Either Gospel Luke 2:22-40 My eyes have seen your salvation When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.    Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: ‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.’ As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’    There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.    When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him. The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Or Alternative Gospel Luke 2:22,39-40 When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.    When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him. The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
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tpanan · 6 years
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My Saturday Daily Blessings
December 30, 2017
Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........
The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas (Roman Rite Calendar)
Lectionary: 203, Liturgical Year B
First Reading: 1 John 2:12-17
I am writing to you, children, because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the Evil One. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the Evil One.
Do not love the world or the things of the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world.  Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96: -2a, 2b-3, 5b-6
"Let the heavens be glad and the heavens rejoice."
Verse before the Gospel:
Alelluia, Alelluia
"A holy day has dawned upon us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord. Today a great light has come upon the earth."
Alelluia, Alelluia
Gospel Reading: Luke 2:36-40
There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.  And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.  The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
**Meditation:
Where do you place your trust and hope for a life of peace, freedom and happiness? Scripture tells us that those who place their trust in God will not be disappointed (Isaiah 49:23, Psalm 62:8, Proverbs 3:5-6). In every age, God has placed in the hearts of his people, from the descendants of Adam, Noah, Abraham, the prophets, and King David, a longing and a hope for a Redeemer who will bring us God's kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness. We see the great unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the birth of Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God before all ages, who became a man to redeem his people from sin and oppression.
The long expected newborn Messiah is presented in the Temple at Jerusalem Luke the Evangelist records the coming of the Christ child (God's Anointed Messiah) to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth in Bethlehem (Luke 2:22-24). Joseph and Mary brought the child Jesus with them to the temple to fulfill the Jewish ceremony, recorded in the law of Moses, for the "redemption of the firstborn child" (Exodus 3:2) and the ritual purification of the mother after childbirth (Leviticus 12:2-8). As Joseph and Mary presented their offering and dedicated the child Jesus in the temple, Anna, a godly woman of great age (84 years) who was filled with the Holy Spirit immediately recognized that this child was the promised Messiah and heir to the throne of David. She publicly "gave thanks to God and spoke of him [who is the Christ - the Anointed Messiah] to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).
Anna's persevering hope and reward of seeing Christ face to face What is the significance of Anna's witness and prophetic proclamation of the Messiah's coming to his temple? Luke calls Anna a prophetess because she had dedicated her life to the service of God's word through prayer and fasting. Like Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) and all the prophets of the Old Testament, she was attentive to God's word and she spoke prophetically - under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - to others of God's plan of salvation for his people. She spent her days in the house of the Lord (the Temple) where she offered up daily prayers and intercession for her people.
Anna did not grow weary of placing her trust in God and his promises. Here hope and trust in God did not waver but grew with age.What enabled Anna to persevere for so many years and through difficult times, such as the loss of her husband, and through the trials of advancing old age? She never ceased to give thanks to God each and every day. She worshiped God in daily prayer, and with fasting and intercession on behalf of her people. And she never ceased to cling to God's word and to speak of his word to others to bring them encouragement and hope. She believed with hopeful expectation that she would one day see her Lord and Redeemer face to face. Anna is a model of persevering faith and hope to all who hunger for God and for his saving word.
The Holy Spirit renews our hope in the promise of God Where do you place your hope? We can easily grow discouraged when trials and setbacks come our way, and we can grow cynical or give in to despair when failing health and advancing age rob us of our natural strength. Life's shortcomings and disappointments can either weigh us down or press us closer to God. The choice is ours - to rely on ourselves and our own strength or to put our trust wholly in God alone and in the grace and strength which he provides. Scripture reminds us that God gives us a (supernatural) hope beyond hope, a (divine) love stronger than death, and a (spiritual and unceasing) joy that no earthly sorrow or suffering can take away.
Is your hope in this present life only? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire and longing for a home and a kingdom of unceasing joy and happiness with God our Creator and Father. The Lord Jesus has won for us an enduring kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit who dwells in us renews and strengthens our hope day by day as we listen to God's word and believe in his promises. God never fails because his promises are true and he is faithful. The hope which God places within us through the gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to persevere with confident trust in God even in the face of daily trails, setbacks, and challenges that come our way.
The reward of seeking God's kingdom first Is there anything holding you back from giving God your unqualified yes to his will and plan for your life? Allow the Lord Jesus to flood your heart with his peace, joy, and love. And offer to God everything you have and desire - your life, family, friends, health, and provision for the future. If you seek his kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), he will give you everything you need to know, love, and serve him now and to enjoy him forever in his everlasting kingdom of joy and peace.
**Prayer:
"Lord Jesus, you alone are my hope and life. May I never cease to place all my trust in your unfailing love and mercy. Fill me with the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit that I may boldly point others to your saving presence and word of eternal life."
Sources:
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
** Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use. Cite copyright & source: www.dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager © 2015 Servants of the Word
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