Podcasts about Lycia

Vous rêvez de quitter votre métier actuel pour vivre d'un projet en ligne, mais vous ne savez pas par où commencer ?Dans cet épisode, je reçois Lycia Diaz, plus connue sous le nom La Webeuse.Ancienne directrice de la restauration dans l'hôtellerie de luxe, elle a opéré une reconversion radicale pour devenir créatrice de sites WordPress, blogueuse, formatrice, autrice… et désormais créatrice d'un plugin innovant de traduction automatique.Ensemble, nous parlons :De son déclic pour quitter un métier passionnant mais exigeantDes étapes concrètes qui lui ont permis de bâtir un business web rentableDe ses stratégies pour se faire connaître grâce à WordPress, Pinterest et le SEODes coulisses de la création d'un plugin, du concept au lancementDe son organisation quotidienne entre blog, clients, formations et projetsQue vous soyez en pleine reconversion ou simplement curieux de voir comment transformer une idée en activité en ligne pérenne, vous trouverez dans cet épisode des conseils concrets, de l'inspiration et une bonne dose de motivation.

Title: “Who Commands the Waves and Wind?” Part 1 Text: Acts 27:1-12 FCF: We often struggle enduring in faith when we face circumstances, we know God could spare us from. Prop: Because God's providence often includes opposition from forces of nature, we must look beyond ourselves to endure in faith. Scripture Intro: Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 27. It is even more important for you to turn there today considering that there will be no text on the screen. In a moment, I will read the first 36 verses of Acts 27 from the Legacy Standard bible. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. As we hasten onward toward the end of this study in the book of Acts, one which has taken us over two years to get to this point, Luke ushers us toward the final episodes of this last Act of his narrative. Luke's purposes have never been to provide a strict history of the early church. Instead, he has written to confirm to a man named Theophilus, and by extension all believers in Jesus Christ, that what we have believed is true and dependable. In this final Act, Luke has not so subtly shown how God is in control of all things and works all things according to the counsel of His will to accomplish His purposes and complete His story of the world which He has already written. Paul has no more criminal trials to face save one. A hearing before Emperor Nero in Rome. A hearing granted to all Roman citizens who appeal to Caesar. And so, in what could have been a short 24 day trip, we will see that God has other things planned for this apostle. Please stand with me to focus on and give honor to the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Most Gracious, Holy, Loving, and Powerful God. You are Alpha and Omega. You are the first and You are the last. From You all of creation has life and by You all of creation consists. There is not one rogue molecule in creation for You control everything for Your glory and for Your purposes. In a day and an age when such doctrines are derided and hated by natural men and even despised by some who claim to be Your people, I pray that we would find comfort and peace in believing that nothing happens without Your plan and consent and without some purpose for which You have established before the foundation of the World. Help us today to see these truths in spite of what our eyes see… we pray this in Jesus' name… Amen. Transition: Let's get right to the text this morning. I.) God's providence often includes opposition from forces of nature, so we must trust the Lord. (1-8) a. 1 - Now when it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius. 2 - And getting aboard an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we set sail accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica. 3 - The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. 4 - And from there we set sail and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were against us. i. So, after 2 years of waiting for the Lord Jesus' words to come to pass, that Paul would go to Rome to preach the gospel, it seems that Paul is finally on his way. ii. Paul, along with other prisoners, was transferred into the guard of a centurion who would have been stationed in Judea. A centurion of the Augustan cohort. iii. Luke no doubt provides this information to us to establish secular witness to the events that he is about to describe in the next chapter and a half. iv. Many of the events that follow are quite unbelievable. But Luke has provided enough information to track this Roman Centurion down and ask him directly if such things have occurred. v. Julius charts a merchant ship from Adramyttium, a city in a bay across from the island of Lesbos between Troas and Pergamum. vi. Why does he chart a merchant ship? vii. Quite simply, there was no other way to travel by sea in the Roman Empire. There were vessels of commerce and vessels of war. There was no such thing as passenger vessels. viii. This ship's destination was to travel the coast of Asia minor, no doubt heading back to the Adramyttium. ix. Luke also lists two more of Paul's companions who joined him on this trip and would serve as eye witnesses to all that happened. The first is very obvious. 1. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, is probably the same Aristarchus who was dragged into the theater to face the rioting crowds in Ephesus in Acts 19. a. Aristarchus is also said to have accompanied Paul to Jerusalem on his most recent visit that has turned into a 2-year plus endeavor. b. It is impossible to know if Aristarchus has been in Jerusalem or Caesarea since Paul was imprisoned. But he seems to have been in Caesarea in time to join Paul on his trip to Rome. 2. The second companion is harder to spot, but since you all are very perceptive people, I'm sure you have spotted Luke in this text. a. In verse 1 it says “we would sail” meaning of course that Paul's companion Luke would join him on this trip too. b. So, both Luke and Aristarchus would be eye witnesses to the events that would follow. x. They sail 70 nautical miles to the city of Sidon in Syria. xi. The church had spread to Sidon some time ago. xii. Julius allowed Paul to leave the ship, probably with a soldier to escort him as waited for the next departure of the Adramyttium ship. xiii. No doubt these believers gave supplies to Paul and his companions for their journey. xiv. But verse 4 delivers a key theme for us in this entire maritime adventure narrative. xv. The winds were against this journey. We see great opposition to this trip from the winds of the Mediterranean Sea. And that opposition will only intensify. xvi. This Adramyttian ship endeavored to sail along the coast of Syria, but instead headed out to sea to be sheltered from the northwestern and western winds by the island of Cyprus. b. 5 - And when we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 - There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 7 - And when we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; 8 - and with difficulty, we sailed past it and came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. i. Sailing between Asia minor and Cyprus along the coast, the Adramyttium ship landed at its next port, Myra of Lycia. ii. No doubt the next stop for this ship would have either been Adramyttium itself or possibly Ephesus. And it probably would not leave for some time… perhaps not even until after winter. iii. Therefore, Julius is forced to chart another ship whose destination would be Italy. iv. We find that Julius charts an Alexandrian ship. These were from the city of Alexandria and would transport grain throughout the Roman Empire, but especially to Rome. v. Having landed in Myra, this ship either came up the coast, past Judea and Syria, and had landed in Myra seeking to head west, or perhaps headed north straight through the Mediterranean toward the easily visible mountainous coast of Asia Minor. vi. We can read between the lines of Luke's record here to understand that the sailing was anything but smooth or predictable. vii. From Cnidus, which was a common port city having two ports, one on the North and one on the South, either they aimed to sail across the Aegean, potentially to Corinth or Athens or perhaps they did intend to sail to the northern edge of Cete to go around the Balkan Peninsula. viii. But because of the dangerous gales, they were forced to once again seek the shelter of the large island of Crete sailing south past the cape of Salmone. ix. Once again, we see the difficulty of the trip and how the forces of nature seem to oppose the will of Jesus and the intention of His apostle. x. With much trouble and very slowly they finally arrive at a southern port on the island of Crete known as Fair Havens near the city of Lasea. c. Summary of the Point: In this maritime adventure which Luke records for us, we could very easily lose the forest for the trees if we are not careful. We could get wrapped up in the adventure of the storm tossed ship and miss the greater message that Luke is revealing to Theophilus and all believers needing assurance that what they have believed is firm and solid. Jesus told Paul 2 years ago that he would go to Rome to preach the gospel… and now the very wind and sea oppose him getting there. But as the sermon title asks… who commands the wind and the sea? John Chrysostom, an early church father said of this passage of scripture, “See how God does not alter or change the order of nature but allows him to sail into unfavorable winds. But even so the miracle happens.” John Chrysostom Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles. In another work he says, “Again trials, again contrary winds. See how the life of the saints is so composed of all these things: he escaped the court, and they fall into a shipwreck and a storm.” John Chrysostom Catena on the Acts of the Apostles. In these two quotes Chrysostom conveys what Luke's aim of this story is. Paul has been shipwrecked before. He has spent much time at sea. Why does Luke record this now? Because Luke, in his final chapter, wishes to convey the absolute sovereignty of God to take His Kingdom to the uttermost parts of the earth. But in that sovereignty, it is not merely raw Power that God is displaying… for the purposes of God are not merely to get His apostle to Rome but also to form and shape Paul's faith. As one commentator said, “God could demonstrate His power by stilling the storm (as in Luke 8:24-25) but also by preserving His servant through it...” “Luke's apologetic is not for a legendary divine man; Paul does not still the storm. But the account portrays Paul's character preserving through testing… as well as speaking wisely and rescuing his fellow passengers by God's power.” God commands the winds and the seas… but that doesn't mean He always works miraculously. Indeed, one of the more wonderous miracles God does is providentially sustaining His people through catastrophe. In this the miracle that occurs is our faith and hope, tested and built. Therefore, knowing that God does not always choose to intervene with miracles… but does keep His promises… we must trust the Lord. Transition: But in the midst of trouble and trial, when everything seems to be against us, and when forces that God says He controls seem to be out of His control… it can be very hard for us to trust God and to know what to do next. Although Jesus has gone to the Father to intercede for us, He has both promised to never leave us and to send the comforter. And the comforter is in our hearts and all the hearts of those who believe. Struggling to see where I'm going? Let's look at verse nine. II.) God's providence often includes opposition from forces of nature, so we must heed counsel from wise and godly people. (9-12) a. 9 - And when considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the Fast was already over, Paul began to advise them, 10 - and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” i. Luke does not track for us the departure date of this trip, nor does he give us any indication of exactly when Portius Festus took office. ii. So, we don't know exactly how long the trip has taken thus far – but he seems to indicate that what began as a doable trip to Rome has become less and less likely. iii. Luke tells us that the Fast was already over. Most likely Luke is referring the Day of Atonement which occurs in late September to early October depending on the year. iv. And the best guess for dating this trip is in AD 59 when the Day of Atonement occurred on October 5th. v. At this time, mid-September to mid-November becomes increasingly more and more difficult to travel the Mediterranean as the winter months approach. vi. After this period virtually all sea travel would cease until around February. vii. According to a Stanford Geospatial Network model of the Roman World, it is estimated that under ideal conditions, Paul would have been able to make the journey from Caesarea to Rome in just under 24 days. viii. Which means that they probably left with at least that amount of time before really difficult sailing conditions would arise. ix. But as Luke indicates here, violent winds began earlier than usual this year and kept them from making any significant progress. Now they face only more difficult sailing conditions as they head further into October and November. x. In light of this, Paul advises those in charge of the ship that this journey will end not only in the loss of the ship and all its cargo, but also in the loss of life. xi. Essentially Paul is advising wintering in Fair Havens and waiting until February to reembark to Italy. xii. In this we have a few questions. First, is Paul speaking the words of prophesy or merely of human wisdom? If it is prophesy, does it come true? If it is wisdom, what makes Paul such an expert that he would advise seasoned merchant sailors? 1. As to the first question, is Paul speaking the words of prophesy or merely human wisdom – we must conclude that this is NOT prophesy. Why must we conclude that? a. Paul predicts that the ship, its cargo, and the lives of the passengers on the ship would experience heavy damage and great loss. b. Peeking ahead a little, we see Paul predict a little later that every life on board the ship would be saved. When he predicts this, he attributes that prediction to the Word of God communicated by an Angel. 2. Therefore, we must conclude that in this instance, Paul speaks merely by his own wisdom. But if that is so, what makes Paul qualified to speak to such matters? a. Having written II Corinthians sometime before going to Jerusalem, Paul has already told us that he had been shipwrecked 3 times and left afloat in the open sea for a night and a day. b. Luke didn't record any of these for us – but it proves that Paul is no novice passenger on a sea faring vessel. c. It also communicates to us the very real danger of travel on the Mediterranean d. Paul's concerns here are not just for the ship and the cargo but for the lives of the people on board. e. Since these ships were ships of commerce, lives didn't always factor in to the decision making of the owners, captains, and crews of these vessels. xiii. And that seems to remain true even after Paul gives his advice. b. 11 - But the centurion was being more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12 - And because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to set sail from there, if somehow, they could arrive at Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, to spend the winter there. i. Julius, the pilot, and the captain of the ship disagreed. ii. Their reasons are logical but next to the advice of a man of God, they are ultimately quite foolish. iii. The scriptures declare that the wisdom of men is foolishness to God. iv. So, what is the wisdom of men? Unfortunately, it is always tainted by sin. In this particular case… greed. 1. Fair Havens is not a port that provides adequate shelter for wintering. 2. It was not the kind of living conditions the crew desired to spend the next several months. 3. There was a significant risk to the cargo being spoiled or damaged, the ship being beaten up or broken, or even the prisoners escaping. 4. Ultimately the wisdom and logic of men comes down to dollars and cents. v. Instead of heeding the advice of Paul, they determined to get to Phoenix, a port giving great vision to both the South and the Northwest of the Mediterranean. A port right for wintering and one which they could depart from with relative confidence as to their heading. vi. This is the wisdom of men. But it will all go terribly wrong. More on that next week. c. Summary of the Point: Luke's point will continue to be how God's will includes providentially allowing the forces of nature to oppose His people. He preserves us through this, which is a testament to His grace, mercy and power, and He tests and perfects our faith in it. He does not always perform miracles to spare us pain, but miraculously sustains us through pain and difficulty while allowing us to continue to faithfully believe and follow Him, even when it seems as if He is slack in His promises. But as we face these difficult times and days, Paul provides another application for us aside from trusting the Lord. Not only must we continue to trust God in difficult times – but we must also trust the counsel of biblically wise people. Paul provides wise insight. And even though it is not about a “spiritual” or “theological” matter – he should have been heeded. When we face trouble, trial, testing and storms in life, we must look to spiritually mature counselors… NOT JUST for spiritual problems… but for all problems. Why? Because God's Word is sufficient to help us in all things we face. In all life and godliness the Word is sufficient. So, we must go to those who love and live by the Word for advice and counsel. And we must heed their counsel. Conclusion: So CBC, what have we learned today that informs and corrects our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: One common objection raised by skeptics of God is whether or not God can create a boulder so large that He could not lift it. It is not typically a question asked in good faith. For regardless of the answer, they think they've proven that He is not all powerful. Whenever someone asks a question that begins with “Could God…” you know immediately that the question is flawed. Why? Because God can… ALWAYS. There is nothing that is impossible with God. Ability is NEVER the question. The real question is about the will of God. And that is demonstrated right here in this text? Could God have stopped the storms? Could God have calmed the sea? We know He could. Why? Because He already did it. The Spirit of God moved on the face of the chaotic waters when He formed the earth. God the Father parted the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to walk on dry land. The Son of God stretched His hand out and said, “Peace, be still” And calmed a storm. My friends the question is NEVER “Can God?” it is always “Will God?” For whatever reason… God allows catastrophe to happen to all men… even His own children. Even His own apostles. Even… His own Son. He allows natural forces and even men's sinful nature to do many things to oppose His children. And we can guess at the whys of that… but maybe for today, we don't need to answer the question why. Because why isn't the right question! Paul addresses a similar argument in Romans 9 when some might complain that they were not elected for salvation and wonder why God judges them for something He did not choose for them to have. Paul says, essentially, you are asking the wrong question. How dare you question God. The right question… is what. In the midst of natural forces opposing me in doing what I know the Lord wishes me to do… What do I do? And this text provides two answers for us. One hinted and the other overtly stated. We must continue to trust the Lord's promises and we must heed the counsel of wise and godly people. But let me expand a bit on this. A few applicational groceries for you to make some spiritual meals with as the week unfolds. 1.) Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that natural forces opposing God's people is a valid reason to question God's Word or character. a. This text alone proves that to question God's promises or God's loving character based on tragic circumstances is absolutely ridiculous. b. God's promises and God's character is not beholden to everything always going right for mankind or even for His chosen people. c. God does work miracles for the sake of His will but He does not ALWAYS do this, nor does He always do miracles in every identical situation that follows that miracle. d. God told Moses to strike the rock and then God told Moses to speak to the Rock. e. Moses struck the Rock twice and both times produced water… but God had OTHER pictures he wished to convey to Moses and to the Israelites by Moses speaking to it instead of striking it. f. Just because God acts differently or allows people to suffer or even die does not mean we are free to begin questioning whether or not God is all good, all powerful, all loving, or all just. g. The creature cannot say such things to the creator. h. His ways are above our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. i. When we think God has done something unjust… it is because our definition of justice is NOT God's. j. When we think God has done something unloving… it is because our definition of love is NOT God's. k. When we think that God has done something that is not good… it is because our definition of good is NOT God's. l. When we wonder why God didn't do something to prevent catastrophe… it is because we have put God in a box and treated Him as if He is like us… We have made an idol, called it Yahweh, and gotten upset when that fake god doesn't do what we think he should. m. We must repent… not Him. n. God is unchangeable. He does not lie. He does not sin. He is the same as He always has been. o. If life stinks, and catastrophe happens… our conclusion CANNOT be… That God has failed, or that God is a liar. p. This is the height of arrogance and idolatry. q. So what must we believe instead? 2.) Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that God providentially allows natural forces to oppose His people. a. God is absolutely free in His will to act according to His counsel. He has full freedom to do as He wishes and as He permits to ALL of His creation – including men. b. In His grace, His mercy, and His love – God does not desire the death of the wicked. c. That is a completely BONKERS statement. Of all the people that we should think God would be hunting down and squashing out of existence it SHOULD BE… the wicked. d. God is just… and He will judge them for their sin… But God does not actively seek out and kill wicked men. Why? Because we'd all be dead already. e. And here is another Bonkers statement in the scriptures… f. God's Son guaranteed that any who would follow Him would experience trouble. Jesus does not qualify that statement by specifying what trouble we experience. i. Is the trouble from those who might hate us and persecute us? ii. Is the trouble in the daily walk in living holy lives and turning from sin? iii. Is the trouble the common aches and pains and problems that all men face? g. Based on the entire cannon of scripture I think we'd have to say… YES! All of those. h. The scriptures say that all of creation groans in anticipation of the return of Jesus, the King of glory. i. Do you think violent storms that destroy property and lives are part of the creation's groans? ii. Do you think that diseases and sicknesses, aches and pains are part of the creation's groans? iii. Do you think that violent and wicked acts of men to snuff out life are part of creation's groans? i. My friends… God allows forces of nature to oppose all men, including His people, as a sign to us that things ARE NOT AS THEY SHOULD BE! j. When we experience heartache and trouble and problems and pain it should confirm upon us the blessed hope of our King's inevitable return to make all this right! k. If God always saved His people from calamity in miraculous ways… how strong would our faith be? l. Let me ask another question… If you always lifted everything for your child, including the spoon to their mouths, how much muscle would be on their arms? m. Were they called to lift a baby off the railroad tracks to save its life… they would struggle and strain and all would be lost. n. God knows we grow through adversity. We grow through struggle and pain. Not because He made us that way… but because sin has corrupted us THAT MUCH. o. The depravity of man is not some soteriological belief that only impacts us prior to conversion. p. My friends… sanctification – our growth to be more like Christ is long, difficult, fraught with pain and setbacks BECAUSE OF DEPRAVITY! q. The reformers believed and the scriptures agree that we are simultaneously WICKED SINNERS who have been declared righteous in Christ. We are all recovering pagans whose hearts continue to be factories forming idols on a daily basis. r. Therefore, we must believe that God sovereignly and providentially uses even natural disaster… to accomplish His will. Because His will is not ours. s. So what do we do with that? 3.) Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must continue to trust the Lord. a. Our God has promised that He will never leave us. b. He has promised us that He will seal us until the day of redemption with His Spirit. c. He has promised that He will give grace in a time of need to those who seek it. d. He has promised that He will sustain us to the moment that we have been appointed to die. e. He has promised to raise us up in Christ to join Him in the clouds. f. He has promised that when we join Him there we will always be with Him. g. So we face shipwreck. So we face wicked men shooting at us. So we face disease. So we face loss. So we face death. But we do so, knowing, that God will never forsake the promises He has made to us. We have confidence that if we face these things… God has willed it to be so for some purpose that we may never know. h. We trust Him. i. Trusting Christ does not mean trusting in a list of facts about God. j. Trusting Christ means that when tragedy occurs… we praise the Lord and trust that He is faithful. k. What else should we do? 4.) Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must heed the counsel of wise and godly people. a. Friends, although we have the Spirit of God in us, although Jesus has promised to never leave or forsake us, and although God in three persons is always present everywhere and when… somehow He knew that that would not be enough for our frailty. b. He knows our weakness indeed. c. And He has given us gifts… i. Apostles to form the church 2000 years ago. ii. Prophets to guide the church in its formation iii. Evangelists to expand the kingdom to the uttermost parts of the earth iv. And pastors/shepherds/ Elders to spiritually care for and equip the church locally to do the work of the ministry which is the edification of the body of Christ. d. In addition to that he has given generational mandates to older believers to care for younger believers and counsel and admonish them in spiritual things. e. He has given fathers to spiritually grow their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. f. He has given all of God's people His Spirit and promises where two or more are gathered and seeking counsel on some of the most difficult things… He is there. g. My friends… when catastrophe surrounds us. When trouble comes. When hope is fading. When we don't know if we can go on. When we don't know what to do. h. God has given us… the church. i. Not perfect. Flawed. But spiritually maturing and matured people who love and live by God's Word. j. Don't buy into the lie that you must see a specialist in the field of your problems to get help. k. If your problems are medical, financial, relational, emotional… and yes… spiritual… You can rest assured that God's word has something to say about it. And wise and godly believers can help you find it and help you pursue it. 5.) Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Repenting of sin and becoming God's child does not give you a life of peace. In fact, it guarantees you a life of hardship. a. There are gospels going out today that seem to assure you that when you pray a prayer your life will be so much better. b. I just saw that MMA fighter Conner McGreggor recently made some kind of profession of faith in Jesus. He stated Jesus is King and that he has never been so at peace since believing this. c. I don't know his heart. I hope he is God's child. Time will tell. d. But here is what I do know. There is a paradox in the Christian life that all outsiders must see before they seek to enter in. e. Although in one sense being a child of God is the most peaceful, wonderful, glorious, amazing, fulfilling, and satisfying things there is… f. In another sense it is a life full of pain, anguish, struggle, hardship, betrayal, failure, frustration, and rejection. And not just in the sense that it is the normal human experience… but beyond that… being a Christian is directly linked to MORE of these than if you were not a Christian. g. Every single Christian in this room affirms this paradox as true. They have lived it. God's word says it. h. Jesus tells everyone to count the cost. He says that the only way to be His disciple is to take yourself, your desires, your comfort, your plans, your lifestyles, your money, your peace, your hope… and nail it to a cross… kill it brutally. Then follow Him. Then… and only then… can you be His disciple. i. He has paid it all… but make no mistake… it will cost you everything. And to true Christians it is a price… we gladly pay. j. If you have counted the cost and desire to follow Jesus, the Elders in this church would love to talk to you about that. Come see us… and don't dilly dally about it. Let me close with a word of prayer from the Apostolic Constitutions Lord God Almighty and true God, nothing compares to you. You are everywhere, and present in all things, but you are not part of your creation. You are not bound by place, and you do not grow old in time. You are not terminated by the ages. You are not deceived by words, and not created by anything. You require no one to look after you, and you are above all corruption. You are free from change, and by nature you never vary. You inhabit inaccessible light. You are invisible by nature, but are known to all thinking people who seek you with a good mind-your people who truly see and who have believed on Christ. You are the God of Israel. Be gracious to me, and hear me, for the sake of your name. Bless those who bow before you, and grant them the requests of their hearts, for their good. Do not reject any of them from your kingdom. Instead, set them apart for you. Guard, cover, and help them. Deliver them from the adversary, and from every enemy. Keep their houses and families safe, and guard them as they come and go. For to you belongs the glory, praise, majesty, worship, and adoration, and to your Son Jesus, your Christ, our Lord and God and King, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, forever and ever, amen. Benediction: May the One Who makes the vapors ascend in clouds from earth's remotest end, Whose lightings flash at His commands, Who holds the tempest in His hands. Keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Until we meet again, go in peace.

God doesn't give revelation to rebels except His gracious call to repentance and restoration. A right relationship with the risen Messiah will cause you to become more and more like Jesus every day.When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. Acts 27:1-6 ESVWe struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship's officers about it. “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on, shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” Acts 27:8-10 NLTWhen a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. Acts 27:13 NLTWisdom isn't determined by the direction of the wind!  But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. The sailors couldn't turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale. Acts 27:14-15 NLTDon't let a moment of favor or desire determine your direction or destiny. The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. The following day they even took some of the ship's tackle and threw it overboard. The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. Acts 27:18-20 NLTIn a severe storm, earthly possessions and navigation systems can become of little or no value. No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. Acts 27:21 NLTA tactical “I told you so” can be a blessing if you receive it as an encouragement to listen next time. - But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.' So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” Acts 27:22-26 NLT God will always prioritize the condition of your soul and salvation over any temporal success or solution.Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven't touched food for two weeks,” he said. “Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.” Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat, all 276 of us who were on board. Acts 27:33-37 NLTOften it's our response to the problems we face that is the real problem, and what causes us to lose our way.The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely. Acts 27:42-44 MSGBut Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn't harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. Acts 28:5-6 NLT For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him. Acts 28:30-31 NLTThe faith and faithfulness of Paul was only outmatched by the faithfulness of our loving, living God.

27 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement.[a] So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

Good morning from Pharma and Biotech daily: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in Pharma and Biotech world.Ey's 2025 Biotech Beyond Borders report reveals that over one-third of biotech companies have less than a year of cash left, indicating financial challenges within the industry. The report emphasizes the need for a return to basics for biotech companies. Additionally, industry experts are discussing FDA Commissioner Makary's push to modernize the FDA and speed up regulatory processes. Scholar Rock has seen positive results with a weight loss combination therapy, and the FDA's new voucher program has been met with some optimism from biotech investors. Overall, the biotech industry is facing financial struggles, but there are opportunities for growth and innovation in the future.BioNTech and CureVac were once enemies, with BioNTech attacking CureVac's "failed" COVID vaccine program. However, they are now merging, with BioNTech buying CureVac in a $1.25 billion all-stock acquisition. The biopharma industry has seen a string of dramatic deals, with companies paying high premiums for acquisitions. This includes Sanofi paying a 300% premium for Vigil Neuroscience and Novartis acquiring Regulus for $800 million upfront. Overseas biosimilars companies can be sued in the US, potentially dissuading them from targeting the US market and benefiting domestic producers. Lilly's $1.3 billion acquisition of Verve in the gene editing space has been met with skepticism from analysts. Biotechs are seeking partnerships as the industry moves forward, with events like BIO2025 kicking off. The industry is facing challenges such as layoffs at companies like Lycia, while AstraZeneca makes a $5.3 billion AI bet with China's CSPC for chronic disease pills. Overall, the biopharma industry is experiencing a period of intense deal-making and strategic shifts.

In 1087 the Saint's relics were taken from Myra in Lycia (on the southern coast of present-day Turkey) to the town of Bari in Italy. This was done due to a Muslim attack on Lycia. At that time Bari was Orthodox and under the administration of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Saint's relics now lie in a Roman Catholic church in Bari; each year the casket containing the relics is opened by a Roman Catholic and Orthodox bishop together, and quantities of fragrant myrrh are removed, for the healing and encouragement of the faithful.

Bible study for March 28, 2025, is cancelled.Scripture Reading: Acts 27:1–44 27 When it was decided we would sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 We went on board a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to various ports along the coast of the province of Asia and put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius, treating Paul kindly, allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. 4 From there we put out to sea and sailed under the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 After we had sailed across the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we put in at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 7 We sailed slowly for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast of Crete and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. 9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because the fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end in disaster and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion was more convinced by the captain and the ship's owner than by what Paul said. 12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there. They hoped that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they could carry out their purpose, so they weighed anchor and sailed close along the coast of Crete. 14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force wind called the northeaster blew down from the island. 15 When the ship was caught in it and could not head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship's boat under control. 17 After the crew had hoisted it aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor, thus letting themselves be driven along. 18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, they began throwing the cargo overboard, 19 and on the third day they threw the ship's gear overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent storm continued to batter us, we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. 21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete, thus avoiding this damage and loss. 22 And now I advise you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.' 25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be just as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.” 27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. 28 They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they had sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms deep. 29 Because they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast, they threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear. 30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship's boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship's boat and let it drift away. 33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone without food; you have eaten nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your survival. For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat. 36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276 persons on the ship.) 38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea. 39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 So they slipped the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage that bound the steering oars together. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and steered toward the beach. 41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves. 42 Now the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape by swimming away. 43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul's life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to land.OutlinePaul Sails to RomeLuke narrates the shipwreck with special detailGod wants Paul to go to Rome; Paul is innocentHow It StartedPaul and his companions are assigned to a centurionSailing from Caesarea to Asia MinorPut in at SidonTo Myra in LyciaTransfer at MyraWith difficulty they reached Fair HavensPaul's first warningWinter travel—a dangerous affairLet's winter in Phoenix!To PhoenixHow It's GoingThe weather suddenly changesFind shelter behind Cauda and haul the boat!Anything but the Syrtis!Preparing the ship for the worseAll hope is lostPaul Offers HopePaul rises as a leader and encourages themPaul has had a visionThe ship approaches some landSome sailors attempt to escapeEveryone on board shares a mealDiscarding more cargoLast ditch effort: run the ship agroundThe prisoners are sparedEveryone swims to shore; everyone is saved!

Dr. Thornburg is a renowned dermatologist and aesthetics expert. Her practice is based in Rapid City, South Dakota. Today she launches her brand new book “Chasing Beauty”! This episode is not just a promotion of the book but a dive into medicine, Lycia's story, and the strength of chasing your dreams. You will love this one!

Nascida em Muniz Freire em 1910, Lycia Vivacqua de Biase mudou-se para Vitória onde começou seus estudos musicais. Ainda jovem foi para o Rio de Janeiro onde teve uma marcante atuação, tendo suas composições apresentadas no Teatro Municipal, inclusive com ela mesma atuando como maestra. Nesta edição do Clássicos CBN, com o Maestro Helder Trefzger, vamos conhecer um pouco mais da trajetória dessa grande artista e ouvir algumas de suas músicas. Ouça a conversa completa!

Our beloved holy Father Nicholas is, along with St George (and second to the All-holy Theotokos), probably the best-loved Saint of the Church. His numberless miracles through the ages, on behalf of the countless Christians who have called on him, cannot be told.   He was born in Lycia (in Asia Minor) around the end of the third century, to pious Christian parents. His love of virtue, and his zeal for observing the canons of the Church, were evident from his infancy, when he would abstain from his mother's breast every Wednesday and Friday until the evening. From early youth he was inclined to solitude and silence; in fact, not a single written or spoken word of the Saint has come down to us. Though ordained a priest by his uncle, Archbishop Nicholas, he attempted to withdraw to a hermit's life in the Holy Land; but he was told by revelation that he was to return home to serve the Church publicly and be the salvation of many souls.   When his parents died, he gave away all of his inheritance to the needy, and thereafter almsgiving was his greatest glory. He always took particular care that his charity be done in secret. Perhaps the most famous story of his open-handedness concerns a debt-ridden man who had no money to provide dowries for his daughters, or even to support them, and in despair had resolved to give them into prostitution. On three successive nights the Saint threw a bag of gold into the window of the man's house, saving him and his daughters from sin and hopelessness. The man searched relentlessly to find and thank his benefactor; when at last he discovered that it was Nicholas, the Saint made him promise not to reveal the good deed until after he had died. (This story may be the thin thread that connects the Saint with the modern-day Santa Claus).   God honored his faithfulness by granting him unparalleled gifts of healing and wonderworking. Several times he calmed storms by his prayers and saved the ship that he was sailing in. Through the centuries he has often done the same for sailors who call out to him, and is considered the patron of sailors and all who go to sea.   He was elected Bishop of Myra not long before the great persecutions under Diocletian and Maximian (c. 305), and was put in prison, from which he continued to encourage his flock in the Faith. When the Arian heresy wracked the Church not long after Constantine came to the throne, St Nicholas was one of the 318 Bishops who gathered in Nicea in 325. There he was so incensed at the blasphemies of Arius that he struck him on the face. This put the other bishops in a quandary, since the canons require that any hierarch who strikes anyone must be deposed. Sadly, they prepared to depose the holy Nicholas; but in the night the Lord Jesus and the most Holy Theotokos appeared to them, telling them that the Saint had acted solely out of love for Truth, not from hatred or passion, and that they should not act against him.   While still in the flesh, he sometimes miraculously appeared in distant places to save the lives of the faithful. He once saved the city of Myra from famine by appearing to the captain of a ship full of grain, telling him to take his cargo to the city. He appeared in a dream to Constantine to intercede for the lives of three Roman officers who had been falsely condemned; the three grateful soldiers later became monks.   The holy bishop reposed in peace around 345. His holy relics were placed in a church built in his honor in Myra, where they were venerated by throngs of pilgrims every year. In 1087, after Myra was conquered by the Saracens, the Saint's relics were translated to Bari in southern Italy, where they are venerated today. Every year, quantities of fragrant myrrh are gathered from the casket containing his holy relics.

Friends of the Rosary, Today, December 6, the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Nicholas of Myra (d. 346), also known as Santa Claus, one of the most popular saints in the Western world and considered the patron saint of children. St. Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop born in Lycia in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He was known for his mercy and charity toward the poor and disadvantaged and for tirelessly defending the faith. In the U.S., the story of St. Nicholas was brought as Santa Claus by Dutch Protestants in a distorted fashion, as a magician and wonder-worker. Our present-day conception of the saint has grown from this version. He is portrayed as a jolly, rotund, white-bearded man from the North Pole who brings happiness to small children with promises of gifts on Christmas Eve. We Catholics should think of Nicholas as a saint, a confessor of the faith, and the bishop of Myra. (Today's Rosary is prayed from Manhattan.) Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. Nicholas, Pray for Us! Come, Holy Spirit, come! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 6, 2024, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Friday of the First Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas of Myra, 270-343; bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor; the best-known story about him has him secretly throwing a bag of gold through the window of a poor man, three times, so that his daughters could marry; by a twist of the tongue, St. Nicholas became Santa Claus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/6/24 Gospel: Matthew 9:27-31

Lorsqu'on pense à l'amour, on réalise vite que ce n'est pas qu'un simple chemin ou une série de trajectoires tracées d'avance. Non, l'amour, c'est une véritable expédition. Une aventure imprévisible, jalonnée de rebondissements, de tempêtes, de sentiments extrêmes, d'espoirs éclatants, et parfois même de peurs profondes.Et maintenant, imaginez vivre cette aventure au cœur d'une expédition de l'extrême. Cela donne naissance à une histoire d'amour absolument EX…traordinaire : celle de Lycia !Clémentine De La Grange a réalisé cet épisode, Agathe Soreau l'a monté et mis en musique. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Acts 27 (NASB) 1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. 4 From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary. 5 When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 7 When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; 8 and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them, 10 and said to them, "Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives." 11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12 Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 13 When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore. 14 But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo; 15 and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along. 16 Running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship's boat under control. 17 After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along. 18 The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; 19 and on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned. 21 When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, 24 saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' 25 Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26 "But we must run aground on a certain island." 27 But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to surmise that they were approaching some land. 28 They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29 Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak. 30 But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ...

Welcome back to another dadcast. Today we have another sermon on Acts 27. Please enjoy.  Notes Paul Sails for Rome 1]And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2]And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3]The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4]And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5]And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6]There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7]We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8]Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. Vs.1) A centurion is a commander of about 80 to 100 men. A cohort consisted of about 480 to 500 soldiers, a legion was 10 cohorts, or about 5000 men. 9]Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10]saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11]But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12]And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. Vs.9) The Fast probably refers to the Day of Atonement, which would be Tishri 10 or at the endof September (Leviticus 23:26). Vs. 10) Paul is not necessarily prophesying but he knows trouble is coming; however, he will give prophetic information in vs.24. The Storm at Sea 13]Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14]But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15]And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16]Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17]After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. 18]Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19]And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20]When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. Vs. 14) This storm reminds me of Luke 8 where Jesus cast Legion out of the demoniac. It seems that this fallen entity, Legion, was the lead authority over the region of Decapolis. Jesus was on His way to “bind the strongman” over that region so that the Gospel message could spread throughout the Gentile population of Decapolis. However, before Jesus engaged in this battle, the fallen realm tried to destroy Jesus in a storm. A similar thing happened to Jonah. He was sent to preach repentance to Nineveh. This was the capital of Assyria, the preeminent empire over the region. Jonah tried to escape from the Lord and the mission given to him; nonetheless, the fallen realm tried to destroy Jonah in a storm in order to ensure that he would never preach to the Gentile population of Nineveh. This same strategy that was employed against Jonah is at play here. For several years Paul's intention was to preach the Gospel to the entire Gentile world. He was now on his way to stand before Nero, the leader of the entire Roman empire. No doubt there was an actual angelic war happening in the 2nd Heaven realm. The fallen realm could not afford for Paul to make it to Rome. The fallen entity behind Nero must sink the ship and drown Paul and his Gospel message. Remember this, every ancient culture has similar gods that are worshiped: gods of the sky, of the sea, of the underworld, gods of death, of war, of fertility. These are all the same gods; however, their names change within each culture. These are not mythical beings, they are fallen entities from the angelic realm. I believe that the chief deity of that time behind the emperor Nero was Zeus. The Romans called him Jupiter; but, I'm just going to use the Greek names so that we don't get confused. Zeus was the king of all the gods and of men. He was often depicted with a scepter in one hand and a thunder bolt in the other. He had power over the sky, thunder and storms. Under his authority were lesser deities like Poseidon. Poseidon had command of the seas, and under the bidding of Poseidon were serpent monsters like Typhon and Hydra. So this storm is not a coincidence or a natural weather pattern, it is a physical manifestation of a heavenly battle between Zeus and righteous angelic warriors deployed from God's throne room. 21]Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22]Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23]For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24]and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25]So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26]But we must run aground on some island.” The centurion accepted the opinion of the ship owner and pilot over Paul's warning in vs. 11. Now he begins to believe Paul. This is a turning point not only for the centurion, but for all the members of the ship. Vs.23) “an angel of the Lord,” this is not the “Angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament. 27]When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28]So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. 29]And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30]And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31]Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32]Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. 33]As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34]Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35]And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36]Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37](We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) 38]And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. Vs.33) 14 days: In Daniel 10 we see that Daniel had been fasting and interceding for his people for three weeks. An angel was sent to him but had been detained for 21 days by the Prince of Persia – a fallen entity. I suspect that this passage is similar. The delay of 14 days for the appearance of an angel to Paul is due to the warfare going on in the heavens, it was fierce and prolonged. As I stated earlier, this shows the intensity of the heavenly battle over Paul's trip to Rome. Consider this: it takes an average of 10 to 12 days for a tropical storm to travel from the west coast of Africa to the east coast of the U.S. That is about a 7000 mile trip. The trip from Crete to Malta is only about 600 miles, and that storm raged over Paul for 14 days. Vs. 35) Paul broke bread, he may have had something like communion with his fellow Christians. This encouraged the rest of the ship to eat some food. This is where the story turns. The fallen realm has lost the battle. By daylight Paul and all the passengers will be delivered onto dry land. The Shipwreck 39]Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40]So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41]But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42]The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43]But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44]and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. Chiasm of Acts 27 A chiasm is a literary device that presents a list of ideas, stops at the key point, and then repeats new but similar information in reverse order. Sort of like a mirror image in written form. Paul sent to Rome by ship (1-8) Paul brings a warning of tribulation on the sea (9-12) The storm rages, difficulty saving the rowboat (13-20) God grants the lives of the ship to Paul, the meal (21-26) The storm rages, rowboat is jettisoned (27-32) Paul's brings a promise that no one would be lost (33-38) The ship is wrecked so Paul and all passengers swim to the shore of Malta (39-44) Application Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over (from Psalm 23). Who are the enemies of Paul? Not the Romans, not the ship's passengers. It is the fallen entities that rule Rome. What does Paul do when he receives the message from the angel? He comes to “the table” and has a meal “in the midst of his enemies.”

In 1087 the Saint's relics were taken from Myra in Lycia (on the southern coast of present-day Turkey) to the town of Bari in Italy. This was done due to a Muslim attack on Lycia. At that time Bari was Orthodox and under the administration of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Saint's relics now lie in a Roman Catholic church in Bari; each year the casket containing the relics is opened by a Roman Catholic and Orthodox bishop together, and quantities of fragrant myrrh are removed, for the healing and encouragement of the faithful.

In 1087 the Saint's relics were taken from Myra in Lycia (on the southern coast of present-day Turkey) to the town of Bari in Italy. This was done due to a Muslim attack on Lycia. At that time Bari was Orthodox and under the administration of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Saint's relics now lie in a Roman Catholic church in Bari; each year the casket containing the relics is opened by a Roman Catholic and Orthodox bishop together, and quantities of fragrant myrrh are removed, for the healing and encouragement of the faithful.

Tuesday, 23 April 2024   There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board. Acts 27:6   More precisely, it reads, “And there, the centurion having found a ship of Alexandria sailing to Italy, he placed us in it” (CG).   Having arrived in Myra of Lycia in the previous verse, it now says, “And there, the centurion.”   Luke had previously given the name of the centurion, Julius. However, he now reverts to using his official rank rather than his name. His identification was established, but it is appropriate to the narrative that Luke refers to him according to his capacity and rank as a soldier. Of him, Luke next says, “having found a ship of Alexandria.”   An Alexandrian ship most probably means a large container ship which was used to transport wheat from Alexandria to Rome, which was a regular occurrence during this period. As it is out of a direct route for this, the thought is that it was caught up in the same contrary winds that necessitated the ship Paul and Luke were on to also travel under the lee of Cyprus.   However, Ellicott notes “A local inscription describes Myra as a ‘horrea,' or store-house of corn (Lewin's St. Paul, ii. p. 187), and the Alexandrian ship may therefore have gone thither to discharge part of its cargo.” Either way, the ship was heading in the direction they were going, which was that it was “sailing to Italy.”   As has been previously noted, traveling at the time was not unlike taking a bus or plane now. Although we normally have tickets to our final destination, that is not always the case, especially if we are on a walkabout on the way to our final destination.   The final destination for the centurion and those he was conducting was Italy. Whatever ship would get them closer with each stop is the one they would take. In this case, the Alexandrian ship was going all the way there to drop off the remaining portion of its cargo. This would avoid changing ships again. Therefore, “he placed us in it.”   Here is another word found only once in the New Testament, embibazó. It is also found in the Greek Translation of Proverbs 4:11. It is a nautical term used concerning embarking men on board a ship, but it is also a medical term used to indicate “placing patients in a bath” (Pulpit). Again, we see Luke's mastery of words and the connection between his medical experience and his knowledge of nautical terms as well.   Life application: As noted, the word embibazó is also found in Proverbs 4:11. There it says –   “I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.”   In Proverbs 4, Solomon is writing as a father to his children, giving them words of instruction. The Lord included these words in Scripture, indicating that the wisdom to be drawn from them is universal in its application. Every person in every culture and time will benefit from the words found there.   Today, the progressive mindset is to reject things written by various people groups, such as anything from a white person, saying is biased and finds its roots entrenched in racism. This is taught in schools, government, and business alike.   Even though the Bible was received by people in the Middle East, because of its heavy influence upon the white people of the world, and because they have used it to evangelize people groups around the world, progressives treat the Bible as a book derived from a concept of white supremacy.   But this is nonsense, and deep down they know it is. The Bible clearly claims in Acts 17 that all people are derived from one man. Skin color is something that changes throughout regions of the world. It even changes in some people as their skin goes from black to white because of vitiligo.   Although rare, a couple with a certain skin color may have a child with a completely different skin color. These things don't determine what a person is thinking or where he or she stands on a particular issue.   When it comes to the Bible, it is ultimately derived from God. Therefore, it is a book that exists as a manual for all people in order to conduct their lives in a manner that is right and pleasing to God. It is not a Jewish book, even if it was mostly Hebrew in its being transmitted and maintained.   It is not a Greek book, even if its concluding books were written in the Greek language. It is not a Western book, even if it was first accepted and most widely studied and passed on by Western societies after it was finally completed.   These ideas are incorrect. The Bible is a divinely inspired and God-centered book. It is that which brings about restoration between God and man. It is for this reason, not some other distractionary concept, that the progressives of the world hate it. They hate God, despising His moral character and being, and therefore, they hate the book that He has given to man.   Be aware of this when dealing with people who attack the Bible or the Christian portion of society. You need to address their disconnect between God and them first. Only after this is realized, will you have a chance to then correct them concerning their understanding of the importance of Scripture.   Lord God, the world is so at enmity with those who love You and who uphold Your word as the message from You. Help us to correct their thinking about You. Help us to be wise in how we approach others as they challenge You, Your word, and those who love You. May we be able to open eyes that are dulled over concerning their need to see clearly. Amen.

Monday, 22 April 2024   And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. Acts 27:5   More literally, it reads, “And having sailed through the depth against Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra of Lycia” (CG).   Luke just noted that when they put out from Sidon, they had to sail under the lee of Cyprus due to contrary winds. This brought them between Cyprus and the main continent. He now notes, “And having sailed through the depth.”   Here are a couple of rare words. One is found only here, diapleó. It comes from dia (through) and pleó, to sail. Thus, they are sailing through the deep. The next word, translated as deep, is found only in Matthew 18:6 and in this verse, pelagos. In Matthew 18:6, it says –   “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth [pelagos] of the sea.”   It signifies the high seas, meaning the deep. In this case, it is the depth of the waters north of Cyprus and south of the mainland.  Thus, Luke says this is “against Cilicia and Pamphylia.”   These would have been the two major regions on which the sea borders. They would have been to the starboard, or right side of their ship as they crossed through this deep area of ocean. From there, using the first-person plural, he says, “we came to Myra of Lycia.”   Myra was a city in the province of Lycia. This is in the southwest area of Asia Minor. It has “Phrygia and Pisidia on the north, the Mediterranean on the south, Pamphylia on the east, and Carla on the west” (Barnes).   Life application: Luke is specific in his use of wording. A lot of this information seems unnecessary, but by providing it, we find things that are verifiable. As such, we can reasonably conclude that the events recorded by him really took place. As such, Paul really left to be taken to Rome.   From there, they really were caught up in the storm that will be described. They really were stranded on a particular island, and so forth. As these things seem certain to have occurred, then we can be more assured that the details concerning the spread of the gospel, the writing of Paul's letters by the apostle, the accuracy of how the church was established, etc., actually occurred as well.   Luke's careful attention to particular words and details gives us a really confirming sense that all of this is reliable and accurate. Therefore, let us hold fast to the idea that Paul's epistles are exactly what is inspired by God for our edification and instruction during this church age. Luke and his writings stand as a reliable and exemplary witness to this fact.   Lord God Almighty, when we look into the contents, structure, and reliability of what is found in Scripture, it sure helps us to be confident that what it proclaims about Your plan of redemption is also sure and reliable. Thank You for those who have compiled it, preserved it, translated it, and evaluated it for us. Thank You, above all, for Jesus, the Subject of this wonderful gift. Amen.

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter Saint of the Day: St. Appian, 286-306; born in Lycia, and studied at Berytus, modern Beirut; went to Caesarea, with Eusebius; protested an order to sacrifice to the Roman gods, and was arrested and thrown into the sea with weights on his feet; tradition holds that an earthquake occured immediately after his execution, bringing his body back to the shore Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 4/2/24 Gospel: John 20:11-18

ESC TV Today brings you concise analysis from the world's leading experts, so you can stay on top of what's happening in your field quickly. This episode covers: Cardiology This Week: A concise summary of recent studies Management of cardiac amyloidosis e-cigarettes and cardiovascular disease Statistics Made Easy: The Hazard Ratio Host: Susanna Price Guests: Carlos Aguiar, Julian Gillmore, Maryam Kavousi Want to watch that episode? Go to: https://esc365.escardio.org/event/1144   Disclaimer  This programme is intended for health care professionals only and is to be used for educational purposes. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) does not aim to promote medicinal products nor devices. Any views or opinions expressed are the presenters' own and do not reflect the views of the ESC.   Declarations of interests Stephan Achenbach, Maryam Kavousi, Nicolle Kraenkel and Susanna Price have declared to have no potential conflicts of interest to report. Carlos Aguiar has declared to have potential conflicts of interest to report: personal fees for consultancy and/or speaker fees from Abbott, AbbVie, Alnylam, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, Ferrer, Gilead, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Servier, Tecnimede. Davide Capodanno has declared to have potential conflicts of interest to report: Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, Terumo, Medtronic. Julian Gillmore has declared to have potential conflicts of interest to report: consultancy for Alnylam, ATTRalus, AstraZeneca, Bridgebio, Intellia, Ionis, Lycia. Emma Svennberg has declared to have potential conflicts of interest to report: institutional research grants from Abbott, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers, Squibb-Pfizer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson, Merck Sharp & Dohme.

Acts 27 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. 2 Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province. 3 The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs. 4 Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland. 5 Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia. 6 There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board. 7 We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone. 8 We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship's officers about it. 10 “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” 11 But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship's captain and the owner than to Paul. 12 And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor—a poor place to spend the winter—most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure. 13 When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14 But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. 15 The sailors couldn't turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale. 16 We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda, where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us. 17 Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind. 18 The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. 19 The following day they even took some of the ship's gear and threw it overboard. 20 The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. 21 No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. 22 But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, ‘Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.' 25 So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. 26 But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” 27 About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near. 28 They dropped a weighted line and found that the [...]

An examination of an important part of the holy personality of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia, his great love and zeal for Christ and His Church. Archbishop Averky was a righteous shepherd of the 20th century who served as Abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery and Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. He was spiritual son of the great 20th century theologian and holy hierarch, Archbishop Theophan of Poltava, Russia, and therefore a living link in America to the Faith of Pre-Revolutionary Russia. Archbishop Averky was so esteemed that before his repose, St. John Maximovitch told Fr. Seraphim Rose that if he had any theological questions to ask Archbishop Averky. The honorable Archbishop reposed in 1976 and his relics lie in a small chapel for veneration at Holy Trinity Monastery. This short text comes from "Holy Zeal" by Archbishop Averky -LISTEN to the entire article here: https://youtu.be/0DOZQ3WZWTI -READ to the entire article here: https://deathtotheworld.com/articles/holy-zeal/ -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ Archbishop Averky writes: By citing such a picturesque example, we do not in the least wish to say that every one of us can or should follow this example literally: for this one must be himself just as great a holy hierarch as St. Nicholas. But this should absolutely convince us that we do not dare to remain indifferent or be unconcerned about the manifestations of evil in the world, especially when the matter is one of God's glory, of our Holy Faith and Church. Here we must show ourselves to be completely uncompromising, and we do not dare enter into any sort of cunning compromises or any reconciliation, even purely outward, or into any kind whatever of agreement with evil. To our personal enemies, according to Christ's commandment, we must forgive everything, but with the enemies of God we cannot have peace! Friendship with the enemies of God makes us ourselves the enemies of God: this is a betrayal and treason towards God, under whatever well-seeming pretexts it might be done, and here no kind of cunning or skillful self-justification can help us! Only holy zeal for God, for Christ, without any admixture of any kind of slyness or ambiguous cunning politics, must guide us in all deeds and actions. Be zealous, therefore, and repent! (Apoc. 3:19). _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/orthodox-wisdom/message

Acts 25:13–28:31 Acts 25:13–28:31 (Listen) Paul Before Agrippa and Bernice 13 Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. 14 And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, “There is a man left prisoner by Felix, 15 and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. 17 So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. 18 When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. 19 Rather they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20 Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. 21 But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.” 23 So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 But I found that he had done nothing deserving death. And as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.” Paul's Defense Before Agrippa 26 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: 2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? 9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities. Paul Tells of His Conversion 12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language,1 ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' 19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” 24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”2 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” 30 Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31 And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” Paul Sails for Rome 27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast3 was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,4 we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,5 and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. 21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.” 27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.6 A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.7 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. 33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,8 for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 2769 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. The Shipwreck 39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,10 they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. Paul on Malta 28 After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people11 showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice12 has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly,13 and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed. Paul Arrives at Rome 11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods14 as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers15 and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. Paul in Rome 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26   “‘Go to this people, and say,  “You will indeed hear but never understand,    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”27   For this people's heart has grown dull,    and with their ears they can barely hear,    and their eyes they have closed;  lest they should see with their eyes    and hear with their ears  and understand with their heart    and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”16 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,17 and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Footnotes [1] 26:14 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic) [2] 26:28 Or In a short time you would persuade me to act like a Christian! [3] 27:9 That is, the Day of Atonement [4] 27:16 Some manuscripts Clauda [5] 27:17 That is, the sea-anchor (or possibly the mainsail) [6] 27:28 About 120 feet; a fathom (Greek orguia) was about 6 feet or 2 meters [7] 27:28 About 90 feet (see previous note) [8] 27:34 Or For it is for your deliverance [9] 27:37 Some manuscripts seventy-six, or about seventy-six [10] 27:41 Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas [11] 28:2 Greek barbaroi (that is, non–Greek speakers); also verse 4 [12] 28:4 Or justice [13] 28:10 Greek honored us with many honors [14] 28:11 That is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux [15] 28:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 15, 21 [16] 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves [17] 28:30 Or in his own hired dwelling (ESV)

Our beloved holy Father Nicholas is, along with St George (and second to the All-holy Theotokos), probably the best-loved Saint of the Church. His numberless miracles through the ages, on behalf of the countless Christians who have called on him, cannot be told.   He was born in Lycia (in Asia Minor) around the end of the third century, to pious Christian parents. His love of virtue, and his zeal for observing the canons of the Church, were evident from his infancy, when he would abstain from his mother's breast every Wednesday and Friday until the evening. From early youth he was inclined to solitude and silence; in fact, not a single written or spoken word of the Saint has come down to us. Though ordained a priest by his uncle, Archbishop Nicholas, he attempted to withdraw to a hermit's life in the Holy Land; but he was told by revelation that he was to return home to serve the Church publicly and be the salvation of many souls.   When his parents died, he gave away all of his inheritance to the needy, and thereafter almsgiving was his greatest glory. He always took particular care that his charity be done in secret. Perhaps the most famous story of his open-handedness concerns a debt-ridden man who had no money to provide dowries for his daughters, or even to support them, and in despair had resolved to give them into prostitution. On three successive nights the Saint threw a bag of gold into the window of the man's house, saving him and his daughters from sin and hopelessness. The man searched relentlessly to find and thank his benefactor; when at last he discovered that it was Nicholas, the Saint made him promise not to reveal the good deed until after he had died. (This story may be the thin thread that connects the Saint with the modern-day Santa Claus).   God honored his faithfulness by granting him unparalleled gifts of healing and wonderworking. Several times he calmed storms by his prayers and saved the ship that he was sailing in. Through the centuries he has often done the same for sailors who call out to him, and is considered the patron of sailors and all who go to sea.   He was elected Bishop of Myra not long before the great persecutions under Diocletian and Maximian (c. 305), and was put in prison, from which he continued to encourage his flock in the Faith. When the Arian heresy wracked the Church not long after Constantine came to the throne, St Nicholas was one of the 318 Bishops who gathered in Nicea in 325. There he was so incensed at the blasphemies of Arius that he struck him on the face. This put the other bishops in a quandary, since the canons require that any hierarch who strikes anyone must be deposed. Sadly, they prepared to depose the holy Nicholas; but in the night the Lord Jesus and the most Holy Theotokos appeared to them, telling them that the Saint had acted solely out of love for Truth, not from hatred or passion, and that they should not act against him.   While still in the flesh, he sometimes miraculously appeared in distant places to save the lives of the faithful. He once saved the city of Myra from famine by appearing to the captain of a ship full of grain, telling him to take his cargo to the city. He appeared in a dream to Constantine to intercede for the lives of three Roman officers who had been falsely condemned; the three grateful soldiers later became monks.   The holy bishop reposed in peace around 345. His holy relics were placed in a church built in his honor in Myra, where they were venerated by throngs of pilgrims every year. In 1087, after Myra was conquered by the Saracens, the Saint's relics were translated to Bari in southern Italy, where they are venerated today. Every year, quantities of fragrant myrrh are gathered from the casket containing his holy relics.

Our beloved holy Father Nicholas is, along with St George (and second to the All-holy Theotokos), probably the best-loved Saint of the Church. His numberless miracles through the ages, on behalf of the countless Christians who have called on him, cannot be told.   He was born in Lycia (in Asia Minor) around the end of the third century, to pious Christian parents. His love of virtue, and his zeal for observing the canons of the Church, were evident from his infancy, when he would abstain from his mother's breast every Wednesday and Friday until the evening. From early youth he was inclined to solitude and silence; in fact, not a single written or spoken word of the Saint has come down to us. Though ordained a priest by his uncle, Archbishop Nicholas, he attempted to withdraw to a hermit's life in the Holy Land; but he was told by revelation that he was to return home to serve the Church publicly and be the salvation of many souls.   When his parents died, he gave away all of his inheritance to the needy, and thereafter almsgiving was his greatest glory. He always took particular care that his charity be done in secret. Perhaps the most famous story of his open-handedness concerns a debt-ridden man who had no money to provide dowries for his daughters, or even to support them, and in despair had resolved to give them into prostitution. On three successive nights the Saint threw a bag of gold into the window of the man's house, saving him and his daughters from sin and hopelessness. The man searched relentlessly to find and thank his benefactor; when at last he discovered that it was Nicholas, the Saint made him promise not to reveal the good deed until after he had died. (This story may be the thin thread that connects the Saint with the modern-day Santa Claus).   God honored his faithfulness by granting him unparalleled gifts of healing and wonderworking. Several times he calmed storms by his prayers and saved the ship that he was sailing in. Through the centuries he has often done the same for sailors who call out to him, and is considered the patron of sailors and all who go to sea.   He was elected Bishop of Myra not long before the great persecutions under Diocletian and Maximian (c. 305), and was put in prison, from which he continued to encourage his flock in the Faith. When the Arian heresy wracked the Church not long after Constantine came to the throne, St Nicholas was one of the 318 Bishops who gathered in Nicea in 325. There he was so incensed at the blasphemies of Arius that he struck him on the face. This put the other bishops in a quandary, since the canons require that any hierarch who strikes anyone must be deposed. Sadly, they prepared to depose the holy Nicholas; but in the night the Lord Jesus and the most Holy Theotokos appeared to them, telling them that the Saint had acted solely out of love for Truth, not from hatred or passion, and that they should not act against him.   While still in the flesh, he sometimes miraculously appeared in distant places to save the lives of the faithful. He once saved the city of Myra from famine by appearing to the captain of a ship full of grain, telling him to take his cargo to the city. He appeared in a dream to Constantine to intercede for the lives of three Roman officers who had been falsely condemned; the three grateful soldiers later became monks.   The holy bishop reposed in peace around 345. His holy relics were placed in a church built in his honor in Myra, where they were venerated by throngs of pilgrims every year. In 1087, after Myra was conquered by the Saracens, the Saint's relics were translated to Bari in southern Italy, where they are venerated today. Every year, quantities of fragrant myrrh are gathered from the casket containing his holy relics.

Full Text of ReadingsWednesday of the First Week of Advent Lectionary: 177The Saint of the day is Saint NicholasSaint Nicholas' Story The absence of the “hard facts” of history is not necessarily an obstacle to the popularity of saints, as the devotion to Saint Nicholas shows. Both the Eastern and Western Churches honor him, and it is claimed that after the Blessed Virgin, he is the saint most pictured by Christian artists. And yet historically, we can pinpoint only the fact that Nicholas was the fourth-century bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor. As with many of the saints, however, we are able to capture the relationship which Nicholas had with God through the admiration which Christians have had for him—an admiration expressed in the colorful stories which have been told and retold through the centuries. Perhaps the best-known story about Nicholas concerns his charity toward a poor man who was unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age. Rather than see them forced into prostitution, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold through the poor man's window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the daughters to be married. Over the centuries, this particular legend evolved into the custom of gift-giving on the saint's feast. In the English-speaking countries, Saint Nicholas became, by a twist of the tongue, Santa Claus—further expanding the example of generosity portrayed by this holy bishop. Reflection The critical eye of modern history makes us take a deeper look at the legends surrounding Saint Nicholas. But perhaps we can utilize the lesson taught by his legendary charity, look deeper at our approach to material goods in the Christmas season, and seek ways to extend our sharing to those in real need. Saint Nicholas is a Patron Saint of: BakersBrides and GroomsChildrenGreecePawnbrokersTravelers Click here for more on Saint Nicholas! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas of Myra, one of the most popular saints in the Western world. He was born in Lycia in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and was a 4th century saint and Bishop of Myra. He was know for practicing spiritual and corporal works of mercy, helping the poor and disadvantaged, and working tirelessly to defend the faith. Popular legends has made St. Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, into today's Santa Claus, a jolly, white-bearded man from the North Pole who who captivates children with promises of gifts on Christmas Eve.The story of Saint Nicholas came to America in distorted fashion. The Dutch Protestants carried a popularized version of the saint's life to New Amsterdam, portraying Nicholas as a Nordic magician and wonder-worker. Our present-day conception of Santa Claus has grown from this version. We Catholic should think of Nicholas as a saint, a confessor of the faith and the bishop of Myra. His relics are still preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari; an oily substance, known as Manna di S. Nicola, which is highly valued for its medicinal powers, is said to flow from them. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠December 6, 2023, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas, 270-343; Fourth-Century bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor; the best known legend of St. Nicholas has him secretly helping a poor man to provide dowries for his marriage-age daughters; by a twist of the tongue, St. Nicholas, in legend, became Santa Claus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 12/6/23 Gospel: Matthew 15:29-37

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - A priest from the Diocese of Okigwe in Nigeria was kidnapped November 30 while traveling to administer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to a parishioner. The diocese announced December 1 that Father Kingsley Eze, who serves as the parish priest of Saint Michael's Umuekebi Catholic Church in Nigeria's Imo state, was kidnapped at approximately 8 pm and his whereabouts are unknown. The bandits are said to have first robbed the street vendors, shooting indiscriminately and wounding a passerby, and then forced the priest and his companion to follow them. Saint Michael's Parish serves parts of Imo state in southern Nigeria, which has been the center of massive attacks that mostly target Christians. From January 2021 to May of this year, security forces and “allied militias” killed 900 unarmed citizens, wounded 700, and arrested 3,500 people, most of them innocent Christians in Imo state. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256179/parish-priest-in-nigeria-abducted-while-answering-sick-call The beatification cause for Antoni Gaudí, the Catalan architect known as “God's architect” and designer of the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain, just completed an important step on the path to officially declaring him a saint in the Catholic Church. Gaudí's cause for beatification has been transferred from a civil association to an ecclesial association and has entered its “final process,” according to the Archdiocese of Barcelona. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256178/canonization-cause-advances-for-god-s-architect-antoni-gaudi The board of trustees of the University of Notre Dame has elected as the university's new president Father Robert Dowd, a Congregation of Holy Cross priest and associate professor of political science who serves as a current vice president. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256181/notre-dame-board-elects-father-robert-a-dowd-as-new-university-president Today, the Church celebrates Saint Nicholas of Myra. A bishop in the early church who was known for generosity and love of children, Nicholas was born in Lycia in Asia Minor around the late third or fourth century. One of the most famous stories of the generosity of Nicholas says that he threw bags of gold through an open window in the house of a poor man to serve as dowry for the man's daughters, who otherwise would have been forced into prostitution. The gold is said to have landed in the family's shoes, which were drying near the fire. This is why children leave their shoes out by the door, or hang their stockings by the fireplace in the hopes of receiving a gift on the eve of his feast. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-nicholas-of-myra-75

Acts 26–28 Acts 26–28 (Listen) Paul's Defense Before Agrippa 26 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: 2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? 9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities. Paul Tells of His Conversion 12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language,1 ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' 19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” 24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”2 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” 30 Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31 And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” Paul Sails for Rome 27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast3 was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,4 we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,5 and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. 21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.” 27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.6 A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.7 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. 33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,8 for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 2769 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. The Shipwreck 39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,10 they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. Paul on Malta 28 After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people11 showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice12 has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly,13 and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed. Paul Arrives at Rome 11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods14 as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers15 and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. Paul in Rome 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26   “‘Go to this people, and say,  “You will indeed hear but never understand,    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”27   For this people's heart has grown dull,    and with their ears they can barely hear,    and their eyes they have closed;  lest they should see with their eyes    and hear with their ears  and understand with their heart    and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”16 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,17 and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Footnotes [1] 26:14 Or the Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic) [2] 26:28 Or In a short time you would persuade me to act like a Christian! [3] 27:9 That is, the Day of Atonement [4] 27:16 Some manuscripts Clauda [5] 27:17 That is, the sea-anchor (or possibly the mainsail) [6] 27:28 About 120 feet; a fathom (Greek orguia) was about 6 feet or 2 meters [7] 27:28 About 90 feet (see previous note) [8] 27:34 Or For it is for your deliverance [9] 27:37 Some manuscripts seventy-six, or about seventy-six [10] 27:41 Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas [11] 28:2 Greek barbaroi (that is, non–Greek speakers); also verse 4 [12] 28:4 Or justice [13] 28:10 Greek honored us with many honors [14] 28:11 That is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux [15] 28:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 15, 21 [16] 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves [17] 28:30 Or in his own hired dwelling (ESV)

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 15, 2023 is: chimera • kye-MEER-uh • noun In Greek mythology, Chimera is a fire-breathing monster that has a lion's head, a goat's body, and a snake's tail. In general contexts, chimera can refer to something (such as an aspiration) that exists only in the imagination and is not possible in reality. // The fantasy is a utopian chimera, but there are real improvements for the town that can be made. See the entry > Examples: “For years, consumer advocates maintained that giving subscribers a la carte options from cable menus instead of the one-size-fits-all model would save people money. Alas, this nirvana has proved to be a chimera. Streaming channels have peeled off from cable lineups and established their own individualized subscription services, with the result that what used to be bundled together in premium tiers are now separate charges.” — Michael Hiltzik, The Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023 Did you know? “In head and shoulders, she was like a lion, / in back and tail, a snake, and in the middle, / a she-goat, and she breathed a dreadful blast / of blazing fire.” So did Homer describe the fearsome Chimera in The Iliad (as translated by scholar Emily Wilson in 2023). The Chimera terrorized the people of Lycia until slain by the hero Bellerophon, but the beast lived on in people's imaginations, and English speakers adopted her name for any monster similarly composed of the parts of different animals. Later, chimera took on another meaning that is common in today's lexicon: “an illusion of the mind, especially an unrealized dream.” This sense of chimera is often used to refer to a fantasy or delusion.

Old Testament: Isaiah 63–66 Isaiah 63–66 (Listen) The Lord's Day of Vengeance 63   Who is this who comes from Edom,    in crimsoned garments from Bozrah,  he who is splendid in his apparel,    marching in the greatness of his strength?  “It is I, speaking in righteousness,    mighty to save.” 2   Why is your apparel red,    and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? 3   “I have trodden the winepress alone,    and from the peoples no one was with me;  I trod them in my anger    and trampled them in my wrath;  their lifeblood1 spattered on my garments,    and stained all my apparel.4   For the day of vengeance was in my heart,    and my year of redemption2 had come.5   I looked, but there was no one to help;    I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold;  so my own arm brought me salvation,    and my wrath upheld me.6   I trampled down the peoples in my anger;    I made them drunk in my wrath,    and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.” The Lord's Mercy Remembered 7   I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD,    the praises of the LORD,  according to all that the LORD has granted us,    and the great goodness to the house of Israel  that he has granted them according to his compassion,    according to the abundance of his steadfast love.8   For he said, “Surely they are my people,    children who will not deal falsely.”    And he became their Savior.9   In all their affliction he was afflicted,3    and the angel of his presence saved them;  in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;    he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 10   But they rebelled    and grieved his Holy Spirit;  therefore he turned to be their enemy,    and himself fought against them.11   Then he remembered the days of old,    of Moses and his people.4  Where is he who brought them up out of the sea    with the shepherds of his flock?  Where is he who put in the midst of them    his Holy Spirit,12   who caused his glorious arm    to go at the right hand of Moses,  who divided the waters before them    to make for himself an everlasting name,13     who led them through the depths?  Like a horse in the desert,    they did not stumble.14   Like livestock that go down into the valley,    the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest.  So you led your people,    to make for yourself a glorious name. Prayer for Mercy 15   Look down from heaven and see,    from your holy and beautiful5 habitation.  Where are your zeal and your might?    The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion    are held back from me.16   For you are our Father,    though Abraham does not know us,    and Israel does not acknowledge us;  you, O LORD, are our Father,    our Redeemer from of old is your name.17   O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways    and harden our heart, so that we fear you not?  Return for the sake of your servants,    the tribes of your heritage.18   Your holy people held possession for a little while;6    our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.19   We have become like those over whom you have never ruled,    like those who are not called by your name. 64   Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,    that the mountains might quake at your presence—2   7 as when fire kindles brushwood    and the fire causes water to boil—  to make your name known to your adversaries,    and that the nations might tremble at your presence!3   When you did awesome things that we did not look for,    you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.4   From of old no one has heard    or perceived by the ear,  no eye has seen a God besides you,    who acts for those who wait for him.5   You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,    those who remember you in your ways.  Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;    in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?86   We have all become like one who is unclean,    and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.  We all fade like a leaf,    and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.7   There is no one who calls upon your name,    who rouses himself to take hold of you;  for you have hidden your face from us,    and have made us melt in9 the hand of our iniquities. 8   But now, O LORD, you are our Father;    we are the clay, and you are our potter;    we are all the work of your hand.9   Be not so terribly angry, O LORD,    and remember not iniquity forever.    Behold, please look, we are all your people.10   Your holy cities have become a wilderness;    Zion has become a wilderness,    Jerusalem a desolation.11   Our holy and beautiful10 house,    where our fathers praised you,  has been burned by fire,    and all our pleasant places have become ruins.12   Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD?    Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly? Judgment and Salvation 65   I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;    I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.  I said, “Here I am, here I am,”    to a nation that was not called by11 my name.2   I spread out my hands all the day    to a rebellious people,  who walk in a way that is not good,    following their own devices;3   a people who provoke me    to my face continually,  sacrificing in gardens    and making offerings on bricks;4   who sit in tombs,    and spend the night in secret places;  who eat pig's flesh,    and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;5   who say, “Keep to yourself,    do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.”  These are a smoke in my nostrils,    a fire that burns all the day.6   Behold, it is written before me:    “I will not keep silent, but I will repay;  I will indeed repay into their lap7     both your iniquities and your fathers' iniquities together,      says the LORD;  because they made offerings on the mountains    and insulted me on the hills,  I will measure into their lap    payment for their former deeds.”12 8   Thus says the LORD:  “As the new wine is found in the cluster,    and they say, ‘Do not destroy it,    for there is a blessing in it,'  so I will do for my servants' sake,    and not destroy them all.9   I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,    and from Judah possessors of my mountains;  my chosen shall possess it,    and my servants shall dwell there.10   Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks,    and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,    for my people who have sought me.11   But you who forsake the LORD,    who forget my holy mountain,  who set a table for Fortune    and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,12   I will destine you to the sword,    and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter,  because, when I called, you did not answer;    when I spoke, you did not listen,  but you did what was evil in my eyes    and chose what I did not delight in.” 13   Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:  “Behold, my servants shall eat,    but you shall be hungry;  behold, my servants shall drink,    but you shall be thirsty;  behold, my servants shall rejoice,    but you shall be put to shame;14   behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart,    but you shall cry out for pain of heart    and shall wail for breaking of spirit.15   You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse,    and the Lord GOD will put you to death,    but his servants he will call by another name,16   so that he who blesses himself in the land    shall bless himself by the God of truth,  and he who takes an oath in the land    shall swear by the God of truth;  because the former troubles are forgotten    and are hidden from my eyes. New Heavens and a New Earth 17   “For behold, I create new heavens    and a new earth,  and the former things shall not be remembered    or come into mind.18   But be glad and rejoice forever    in that which I create;  for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,    and her people to be a gladness.19   I will rejoice in Jerusalem    and be glad in my people;  no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping    and the cry of distress.20   No more shall there be in it    an infant who lives but a few days,    or an old man who does not fill out his days,  for the young man shall die a hundred years old,    and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.21   They shall build houses and inhabit them;    they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.22   They shall not build and another inhabit;    they shall not plant and another eat;  for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,    and my chosen shall long enjoy13 the work of their hands.23   They shall not labor in vain    or bear children for calamity,14  for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD,    and their descendants with them.24   Before they call I will answer;    while they are yet speaking I will hear.25   The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;    the lion shall eat straw like the ox,    and dust shall be the serpent's food.  They shall not hurt or destroy    in all my holy mountain,”      says the LORD. The Humble and Contrite in Spirit 66   Thus says the LORD:  “Heaven is my throne,    and the earth is my footstool;  what is the house that you would build for me,    and what is the place of my rest?2   All these things my hand has made,    and so all these things came to be,      declares the LORD.  But this is the one to whom I will look:    he who is humble and contrite in spirit    and trembles at my word. 3   “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man;    he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck;  he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers pig's blood;    he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.  These have chosen their own ways,    and their soul delights in their abominations;4   I also will choose harsh treatment for them    and bring their fears upon them,  because when I called, no one answered,    when I spoke, they did not listen;  but they did what was evil in my eyes    and chose that in which I did not delight.” 5   Hear the word of the LORD,    you who tremble at his word:  “Your brothers who hate you    and cast you out for my name's sake  have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified,    that we may see your joy';    but it is they who shall be put to shame. 6   “The sound of an uproar from the city!    A sound from the temple!  The sound of the LORD,    rendering recompense to his enemies! Rejoice with Jerusalem 7   “Before she was in labor    she gave birth;  before her pain came upon her    she delivered a son.8   Who has heard such a thing?    Who has seen such things?  Shall a land be born in one day?    Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?  For as soon as Zion was in labor    she brought forth her children.9   Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”

Tuesday, 10 October 2023   Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. Acts 21:1   The words of the NKJV do not logically follow the Greek. It more closely reads, “And it was, at our sailing, having drawn away from them, having run a straight course from them, we came to Cos, and next to Rhodes. From there to Patara” (CG).   In the previous verse, the emotions of those gathered with Paul were described, and then they conducted him to the ship. With that remembered, Chapter 21 begins with, “And it was, at our sailing.”   The word for their setting sail has already been seen in Acts, but as a reminder, it conveys the idea of going up. In essence, the idea is to go up to the sea from the land. On the other hand, the idea of coming to land after a voyage is to go down to the land from the sea. With their departure upon the sea, Luke next records what that departure was like, saying, “having drawn away from them.”   The verb is apospaó. It signifies “away from” and “to draw” as in the drawing of a sword. The sense is that it was as if they were pulled away from those on the shore who were, in essence, still clinging to them. The emotion of the moment is reflected in the choice of words used by Luke. Once they were so drawn away, Luke describes the next three stages of the journey, beginning with, “having run a straight course from them, we came to Cos.”   This is the only time that Cos is mentioned in Scripture. Abarim notes, “It's unclear where the name Cos originally came from, or even in which language it was conceived. But mythology held that it meant Number or Ratio.” Whatever its meaning, it was a straight run from Miletus to Cos. Luke then says, “and next to Rhodes.”   The name is also found only here in Scripture. It is from the same root as Rhodé, the maidservant noted in Acts 12:13. Thus, the name Rhodes probably means something like Place of the Rose. Finally, Luke records, “From there to Patara.”   Patara is also seen only here in the Bible. It was a town on the coast of the Roman province of Lycia. Abarim says, “The Greek name Patara is a transliteration of the original Lycian name Pttara, which in turn derives from the name of a mountain, namely Mount Patar, which is mentioned in the Hittite Yalburt Inscription, and which [in] turn appears to have been named after the Lycian word for basket, again patar (Lycia - Crossroads of Hittite and Greek Traditions? — Annick Payne).” Hence, they define the name as Basket(s).   Luke's noting of the ship's stops informs us that this was the common way of traveling. Ships would go from place to place with their commodities. Travelers would have taken advantage of it, just as Paul and those with him did. For the merchants, goods would have been loaded and unloaded, and possibly even postage might have been conveyed for a fee. Any travelers would also add to their profits.   Ellicott describes the three locations –   “Coos was famous both for its wines and its silk fabrics, of fine and almost transparent tissue; that Rhodes, then famous for its Colossus, was one of the largest and most flourishing islands of the Archipelago, and is memorable for us in later history as connected with the history of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John; that Patara was a harbour on the coast of Lycia. For this harbour the ship in which the travellers had left Troas and Miletus was bound, and they had therefore to look out for another. Happily there was no long delay, and they embarked at once on a merchant-ship bound for Phœnicia.”   Life application: Luke is quite meticulous in his record of the events as they occurred. The particular note of them being drawn away from Miletus shows the difficulty of the departure, but the quick and direct notes about the next three stops relieve that tension as the team gets drawn toward their next goal, which is to be in Jerusalem.   We can look at these events as we look at our own lives. We have connections here that cause us to want to hold on to them. We have family, friends, tasks that we enjoy, and so forth. However, as believers, we also have a heavenly home that is awaiting us.   For the normal course of life, we need to be drawn away from the earthly things and toward the promise of the New Jerusalem. In order for that to happen, God has set our lives to occur in a certain way. As we get older, we are drawn away from certain aspects of life. For example, our bodies no longer allow us to do certain things.   We also experience loss in various ways, drawing us away from other aspects of our lives. For example, we will lose our favorite pets, cherished things in various ways, and even those we love as time goes by.   These things are common to all people. The wise will understand that we must leave this world behind and set a straight course for our heavenly home. Of course, there is a time when this cycle will end, and the rapture will occur. But until that day, we should take our lives and the things that happen here in the context of a greater hope that lies ahead.   Let us not become overly distraught at the changes that occur. Instead, we can cherish the memories while still focusing on the glory that God has promised us in our future, eternal home. We are being drawn away from here to there. It is normal, and we should realize this as we continue along life's often difficult path.   Glorious Lord God, thank You that a better and permanent home awaits us where we will no longer experience the trials and troubles that we currently face. Slowly, but surely, we are being drawn toward that glorious place. Help us to understand this process from Your perspective and to not fret over the changes we must face in this fallen and woeful world. Amen.  

Thursday, 14 September 2023   Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot. Acts 20:13   The words of the NKJV need help, “And we, having gone ahead to the ship, sailed to Assos, thence readying to take up Paul. For so he had arranged, readying himself to hike” (CG).   In the last verse, Eutychus was taken home alive, and the people were greatly comforted. With that noted, the journey for the missionaries from Troas was set to commence. Therefore, Luke next says, “And we.”   The “we” verses continue, showing that Luke is with the missionaries at this time. Everything recorded here would be from his first-person perspective. Understanding this, he next notes, “having gone ahead to the ship, sailed to Assos.”   The missionaries, inclusive of Luke, are departing by ship. The first leg of the journey is from Troas to Assos. Assos is about 20 miles south of Troas, but for those who sailed, it was about twice as far as they had to go around a cape. Of this location, Albert Barnes notes –   “There were several cities of this name. One was in Lycia; one in the territory of Eolis; one in Mysia; one in Lydia; and another in Epirus. The latter is the one intended here. It was between Troas and Mitylene. The distance to it from Troas by land was about 20 miles, while the voyage round Cape Lecture was nearly twice as far, and accordingly Paul chose to go to it on foot.”   Assos is only found here and in the next verse in the New Testament. The meaning is uncertain, but Abarim says the following –   “The name Assos may derive from a rarely used adverb ασσον (asson) and revel in the fact that it's Closer than some other place. Or it relates to the name of the local son and international hero king Assaracus, Number One and the patriarch of all things Rome.   Even in 1000 BC, when there was no Rome yet, the preference would probably have inclined toward Assaracus. Assos means Number One.”   Of this trip to Assos, Luke next records that they left by ship. Once they had arrived, the plan was “thence readying to take up Paul.”   Luke notes that while he and those with him would sail, they would be ready at their arrival point to take up Paul at that location. The meaning is obvious. Paul would travel another way to Assos. That is then explained by the next words, saying, “For so he had arranged, readying himself to hike.”   Rather than sail, Paul desired to go by land. Luke uses a word found only here in Scripture, pezeuó. It is ultimately derived from pous, meaning “foot.” Being a single verb in the present tense, the word “hike” suffices. A hike is something conducted on foot and is a little less arduous sounding than “trek” or “trudge” and a little more determined than “amble” or “saunter.”   Paul hiked to Assos. Quite a few reasons have been speculated as to why he did this. Some think he didn't want to sail unless it was necessary. Others think that maybe he wanted to pray or contemplate life. Still, others suggest that he might have wanted to visit friends on the way. And yet, others think it might have been for health reasons. Maybe he wanted to race and see who would arrive at Troas first – the old competitive spirit and all. Only speculation can be made because Luke provides no further explanation.   Life application: The traveling noted by Luke as they sailed and Paul, as he walked, can be followed on google maps exactly. You can zoom in on even the minutest details, following along the ancient ports and paths that have been updated for modern shipping and automobiles. What is wonderful about doing this is that you can find assurance that what you are reading is reliable.   Luke didn't just write a novel about the adventures of fictional characters. Instead, he has documented the exact movements of real people that really set out on these missionary journeys. If the locations, directions, time of travel, etc., are all reliable, why would anyone assume that the other details, such as the restoration of life to Eutychus are any less reliable?   It would make no sense to document the minutest details of one aspect of the narrative and then make up a bunch of fairytales about the other parts. Rather, we have a sure and sound word that is backed up by facts and eyewitness accounts. Let us not doubt the accuracy of what we read. Instead, let us be firm and confident in what is recorded. This is the word of God, and it is reliable.   Lord God, thank You that Your word is so reliable and verifiable. Because of this, we can know that when things are recorded that are difficult to grasp because of their miraculous nature, we can still have faith that they are true. Because of this, we can also know that what is detailed for the times ahead is also true. We have a sure and grounded hope because of this precious word! Amen.

Proper 16 First Psalm: Psalms 5–6 Psalms 5–6 (Listen) Lead Me in Your Righteousness To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David. 5   Give ear to my words, O LORD;    consider my groaning.2   Give attention to the sound of my cry,    my King and my God,    for to you do I pray.3   O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you1 and watch. 4   For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;    evil may not dwell with you.5   The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;    you hate all evildoers.6   You destroy those who speak lies;    the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7   But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,    will enter your house.  I will bow down toward your holy temple    in the fear of you.8   Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness    because of my enemies;    make your way straight before me. 9   For there is no truth in their mouth;    their inmost self is destruction;  their throat is an open grave;    they flatter with their tongue.10   Make them bear their guilt, O God;    let them fall by their own counsels;  because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,    for they have rebelled against you. 11   But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;    let them ever sing for joy,  and spread your protection over them,    that those who love your name may exult in you.12   For you bless the righteous, O LORD;    you cover him with favor as with a shield. O Lord, Deliver My Life To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith.2 A Psalm of David. 6   O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,    nor discipline me in your wrath.2   Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;    heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.3   My soul also is greatly troubled.    But you, O LORD—how long? 4   Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;    save me for the sake of your steadfast love.5   For in death there is no remembrance of you;    in Sheol who will give you praise? 6   I am weary with my moaning;    every night I flood my bed with tears;    I drench my couch with my weeping.7   My eye wastes away because of grief;    it grows weak because of all my foes. 8   Depart from me, all you workers of evil,    for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.9   The LORD has heard my plea;    the LORD accepts my prayer.10   All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;    they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. Footnotes [1] 5:3 Or I direct my prayer to you [2] 6:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term (ESV) Second Psalm: Psalms 10–11 Psalms 10–11 (Listen) Why Do You Hide Yourself? 10   Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2   In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;    let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.3   For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,    and the one greedy for gain curses1 and renounces the LORD.4   In the pride of his face2 the wicked does not seek him;3    all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”5   His ways prosper at all times;    your judgments are on high, out of his sight;    as for all his foes, he puffs at them.6   He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;    throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”7   His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;    under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.8   He sits in ambush in the villages;    in hiding places he murders the innocent.  His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;9     he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;  he lurks that he may seize the poor;    he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.10   The helpless are crushed, sink down,    and fall by his might.11   He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,    he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” 12   Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand;    forget not the afflicted.13   Why does the wicked renounce God    and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?14   But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,    that you may take it into your hands;  to you the helpless commits himself;    you have been the helper of the fatherless.15   Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;    call his wickedness to account till you find none. 16   The LORD is king forever and ever;    the nations perish from his land.17   O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear18   to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,    so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. The Lord Is in His Holy Temple To the choirmaster. Of David. 11   In the LORD I take refuge;  how can you say to my soul,    “Flee like a bird to your mountain,2   for behold, the wicked bend the bow;    they have fitted their arrow to the string    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;3   if the foundations are destroyed,    what can the righteous do?”4 4   The LORD is in his holy temple;    the LORD's throne is in heaven;    his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.5   The LORD tests the righteous,    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.6   Let him rain coals on the wicked;    fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.7   For the LORD is righteous;  he loves righteous deeds;    the upright shall behold his face. Footnotes [1] 10:3 Or and he blesses the one greedy for gain [2] 10:4 Or of his anger [3] 10:4 Or the wicked says, “He will not call to account” [4] 11:3 Or for the foundations will be destroyed; what has the righteous done? (ESV) Old Testament: 1 Kings 1:38–2:4 1 Kings 1:38–2:4 (Listen) 38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon. 39 There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise. 41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.” 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king, 44 and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king's mule. 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 46 Solomon sits on the royal throne. 47 Moreover, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted someone1 to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.'” 49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way. 50 And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'” 52 And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.” David's Instructions to Solomon 2 When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack2 a man on the throne of Israel.' Footnotes [1] 1:48 Septuagint one of my offspring [2] 2:4 Hebrew there shall not be cut off for you (ESV) New Testament: Acts 26:24–27:8 Acts 26:24–27:8 (Listen) 24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”1 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” 30 Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31 And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” Paul Sails for Rome 27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. Footnotes [1] 26:28 Or In a short time you would persuade me to act like a Christian! (ESV) Gospel: Mark 13:28–37 Mark 13:28–37 (Listen) The Lesson of the Fig Tree 28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. No One Knows That Day or Hour 32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake.1 For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants2 in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows,3 or in the morning—36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Footnotes [1] 13:33 Some manuscripts add and pray [2] 13:34 Or bondservants [3] 13:35 That is, the third watch of the night, between midnight and 3 a.m. (ESV)

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 5Verba mea auribus1Give ear to my words, O Lord; *consider my meditation.2Hearken to my cry for help, my King and my God, *for I make my prayer to you.3In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; *early in the morning I make my appeal and watch for you.4For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, *and evil cannot dwell with you.5Braggarts cannot stand in your sight; *you hate all those who work wickedness.6You destroy those who speak lies; *the bloodthirsty and deceitful, O Lord, you abhor.7But as for me, through the greatness of your mercy I will go into your house; *I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.8Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness,because of those who lie in wait for me; *make your way straight before me.9For there is no truth in their mouth; *there is destruction in their heart;10Their throat is an open grave; *they flatter with their tongue.11Declare them guilty, O God; *let them fall, because of their schemes.12Because of their many transgressions cast them out, *for they have rebelled against you.13But all who take refuge in you will be glad; *they will sing out their joy for ever.14You will shelter them, *so that those who love your Name may exult in you.15For you, O Lord, will bless the righteous; *you will defend them with your favor as with a shield.Psalm 6Domine, ne in furore1Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; *do not punish me in your wrath.2Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak; *heal me, Lord, for my bones are racked.3My spirit shakes with terror; *how long, O Lord, how long?4Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; *save me for your mercy's sake.5For in death no one remembers you; *and who will give you thanks in the grave?6I grow weary because of my groaning; *every night I drench my bedand flood my couch with tears.7My eyes are wasted with grief *and worn away because of all my enemies.8Depart from me, all evildoers, *for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.9The Lord has heard my supplication; *the Lord accepts my prayer.10All my enemies shall be confounded and quake with fear; *they shall turn back and suddenly be put to shame. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons1 Kings 1:38-2:4English Standard Version38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon. 39 There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.” 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king, 44 and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king's mule. 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 46 Solomon sits on the royal throne. 47 Moreover, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.'”49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way. 50 And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'” 52 And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”2 When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'Acts 26:24-27:8English Standard Version24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”30 Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31 And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. The CollectsProper 16Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

With family: Ruth 2; Acts 27 Ruth 2 (Listen) Ruth Meets Boaz 2 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.' So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”1 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” 14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.” 17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah2 of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.'” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law. Footnotes [1] 2:7 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain [2] 2:17 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters (ESV) Acts 27 (Listen) Paul Sails for Rome 27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast1 was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,2 we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,3 and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. 21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.” 27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.4 A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.5 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. 33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,6 for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 2767 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. The Shipwreck 39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,8 they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. Footnotes [1] 27:9 That is, the Day of Atonement [2] 27:16 Some manuscripts Clauda [3] 27:17 That is, the sea-anchor (or possibly the mainsail) [4] 27:28 About 120 feet; a fathom (Greek orguia) was about 6 feet or 2 meters [5] 27:28 About 90 feet (see previous note) [6] 27:34 Or For it is for your deliverance [7] 27:37 Some manuscripts seventy-six, or about seventy-six [8] 27:41 Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas (ESV) In private: Psalm 10; Jeremiah 37 Psalm 10 (Listen) Why Do You Hide Yourself? 10   Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?    Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2   In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;    let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.3   For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,    and the one greedy for gain curses1 and renounces the LORD.4   In the pride of his face2 the wicked does not seek him;3    all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”5   His ways prosper at all times;    your judgments are on high, out of his sight;    as for all his foes, he puffs at them.6   He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;    throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”7   His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;    under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.8   He sits in ambush in the villages;    in hiding places he murders the innocent.  His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;9     he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;  he lurks that he may seize the poor;    he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.10   The helpless are crushed, sink down,    and fall by his might.11   He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,    he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” 12   Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand;    forget not the afflicted.13   Why does the wicked renounce God    and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?14   But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,    that you may take it into your hands;  to you the helpless commits himself;    you have been the helper of the fatherless.15   Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;    call his wickedness to account till you find none. 16   The LORD is king forever and ever;    the nations perish from his land.17   O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear18   to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,    so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. Footnotes [1] 10:3 Or and he blesses the one greedy for gain [2] 10:4 Or of his anger [3] 10:4 Or the wicked says, “He will not call to account” (ESV) Jeremiah 37 (Listen) Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah 37 Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah, reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. 3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray for us to the LORD our God.” 4 Now Jeremiah was still going in and out among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. 5 The army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt. And when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem. 6 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet: 7 “Thus says the LORD, God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me, ‘Behold, Pharaoh's army that came to help you is about to return to Egypt, to its own land. 8 And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city. They shall capture it and burn it with fire. 9 Thus says the LORD, Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,” for they will not go away. 10 For even if you should defeat the whole army of Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and there remained of them only wounded men, every man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.'” Jeremiah Imprisoned 11 Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem at the approach of Pharaoh's army, 12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among the people. 13 When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named Irijah the son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” 14 And Jeremiah said, “It is a lie; I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah would not listen to him, and seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for it had been made a prison. 16 When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there many days, 17 King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the LORD?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” 18 Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land'? 20 Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers' street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. (ESV)

Talking back-to-school and the immunizations the children needSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Morning: Psalms 50–52 Psalms 50–52 (Listen) God Himself Is Judge A Psalm of Asaph. 50   The Mighty One, God the LORD,    speaks and summons the earth    from the rising of the sun to its setting.2   Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,    God shines forth. 3   Our God comes; he does not keep silence;1    before him is a devouring fire,    around him a mighty tempest.4   He calls to the heavens above    and to the earth, that he may judge his people:5   “Gather to me my faithful ones,    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”6   The heavens declare his righteousness,    for God himself is judge! Selah 7   “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;    O Israel, I will testify against you.    I am God, your God.8   Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;    your burnt offerings are continually before me.9   I will not accept a bull from your house    or goats from your folds.10   For every beast of the forest is mine,    the cattle on a thousand hills.11   I know all the birds of the hills,    and all that moves in the field is mine. 12   “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,    for the world and its fullness are mine.13   Do I eat the flesh of bulls    or drink the blood of goats?14   Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,2    and perform your vows to the Most High,15   and call upon me in the day of trouble;    I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” 16   But to the wicked God says:    “What right have you to recite my statutes    or take my covenant on your lips?17   For you hate discipline,    and you cast my words behind you.18   If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,    and you keep company with adulterers. 19   “You give your mouth free rein for evil,    and your tongue frames deceit.20   You sit and speak against your brother;    you slander your own mother's son.21   These things you have done, and I have been silent;    you thought that I3 was one like yourself.  But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. 22   “Mark this, then, you who forget God,    lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!23   The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;    to one who orders his way rightly    I will show the salvation of God!” Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. 51   Have mercy on me,4 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 what is evil in your sight,  so that you may be justified in your words    and blameless in your judgment.5   Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,    and in sin did my mother conceive me.6   Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7   Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8   Let me hear joy and gladness;    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.9   Hide your face from my sins,    and blot out all my iniquities.10   Create in me a clean heart, O God,    and renew a right5 spirit within me.11   Cast me not away from your presence,    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.12   Restore to me the joy of your salvation,    and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13   Then I will teach transgressors your ways,    and sinners will return to you.14   Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,    O God of my salvation,    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.15   O Lord, open my lips,    and my mouth will declare your praise.16   For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.17   The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18   Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;    build up the walls of Jerusalem;19   then will you delight in right sacrifices,    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;    then bulls will be offered on your altar. The Steadfast Love of God Endures To the choirmaster. A Maskil6 of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.” 52   Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?    The steadfast love of God endures all the day.2   Your tongue plots destruction,    like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.3   You love evil more than good,    and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah4   You love all words that devour,    O deceitful tongue. 5   But God will break you down forever;    he will snatch and tear you from your tent;    he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah6   The righteous shall see and fear,    and shall laugh at him, saying,7   “See the man who would not make    God his refuge,  but trusted in the abundance of his riches    and sought refuge in his own destruction!”7 8   But I am like a green olive tree    in the house of God.  I trust in the steadfast love of God    forever and ever.9   I will thank you forever,    because you have done it.  I will wait for your name, for it is good,    in the presence of the godly. Footnotes [1] 50:3 Or May our God come, and not keep silence [2] 50:14 Or Make thanksgiving your sacrifice to God [3] 50:21 Or that the I am [4] 51:1 Or Be gracious to me [5] 51:10 Or steadfast [6] 52:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term [7] 52:7 Or in his work of destruction (ESV) Evening: Acts 27:1–25 Acts 27:1–25 (Listen) Paul Sails for Rome 27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast1 was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,2 we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,3 and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. 21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. Footnotes [1] 27:9 That is, the Day of Atonement [2] 27:16 Some manuscripts Clauda [3] 27:17 That is, the sea-anchor (or possibly the mainsail) (ESV)

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 23–24 2 Samuel 23–24 (Listen) The Last Words of David 23 Now these are the last words of David:   The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,    the oracle of the man who was raised on high,  the anointed of the God of Jacob,    the sweet psalmist of Israel:1 2   “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me;    his word is on my tongue.3   The God of Israel has spoken;    the Rock of Israel has said to me:  When one rules justly over men,    ruling in the fear of God,4   he dawns on them like the morning light,    like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,    like rain2 that makes grass to sprout from the earth. 5   “For does not my house stand so with God?    For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,    ordered in all things and secure.  For will he not cause to prosper    all my help and my desire?6   But worthless men3 are all like thorns that are thrown away,    for they cannot be taken with the hand;7   but the man who touches them    arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear,    and they are utterly consumed with fire.”4 David's Mighty Men 8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three.5 He wielded his spear6 against eight hundred whom he killed at one time. 9 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the LORD brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain. 11 And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi,7 where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the LORD worked a great victory. 13 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the LORD 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. 18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty.8 And he wielded his spear against three hundred men9 and killed them and won a name beside the three. 19 He was the most renowned of the thirty10 and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three. 20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man11 of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels12 of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. 23 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard. 24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, 27 Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah, 29 Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash, 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezro13 of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all. David's Census 24 Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army,14 who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer,15 and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites;16 and they came to Dan, and from Dan17 they went around to Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000. The Lord's Judgment of David's Sin 10 But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer18 you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.'” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three19 years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” 15 So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.” David Builds an Altar 18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels20 of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. Footnotes [1] 23:1 Or the favorite of the songs of Israel [2] 23:4 Hebrew from rain [3] 23:6 Hebrew worthlessness [4] 23:7 Hebrew consumed with fire in the sitting [5] 23:8 Or of the captains [6] 23:8 Compare 1 Chronicles 11:11; the meaning of the Hebrew expression is uncertain [7] 23:11 Or gathered together as a camp [8] 23:18 Two Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts three [9] 23:18 Or slain ones [10] 23:19 Compare 1 Chronicles 11:21; Hebrew Was he the most renowned of the three? [11] 23:20 Or the son of Ishhai [12] 23:20 The meaning of the word ariel is unknown [13] 23:35 Or Hezrai [14] 24:2 Septuagint to Joab and the commanders of the army [15] 24:5 Septuagint; Hebrew encamped in Aroer [16] 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew to the land of Tahtim-hodshi [17] 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew they came to Dan-jaan and [18] 24:12 Or hold over [19] 24:13 Compare 1 Chronicles 21:12, Septuagint; Hebrew seven [20] 24:24 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams (ESV) New Testament: Acts 27–28:15 Acts 27–28:15 (Listen) Paul Sails for Rome 27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast1 was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,2 we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,3 and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. 21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.” 27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.4 A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.5 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. 33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,6 for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 2767 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. The Shipwreck 39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,8 they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. Paul on Malta 28 After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people9 showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice10 has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly,11 and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed. Paul Arrives at Rome 11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods12 as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers13 and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. Footnotes [1] 27:9 That is, the Day of Atonement [2] 27:16 Some manuscripts Clauda [3] 27:17 That is, the sea-anchor (or possibly the mainsail) [4] 27:28 About 120 feet; a fathom (Greek orguia) was about 6 feet or 2 meters [5] 27:28 About 90 feet (see previous note) [6] 27:34 Or For it is for your deliverance [7] 27:37 Some manuscripts seventy-six, or about seventy-six [8] 27:41 Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas [9] 28:2 Greek barbaroi (that is, non–Greek speakers); also verse 4 [10] 28:4 Or justice [11] 28:10 Greek honored us with many honors [12] 28:11 That is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux [13] 28:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 15, 21 (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 122 Psalm 122 (Listen) Let Us Go to the House of the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of David. 122   I was glad when they said to me,    “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”2   Our feet have been standing    within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3   Jerusalem—built as a city    that is bound firmly together,4   to which the tribes go up,    the tribes of the LORD,  as was decreed for1 Israel,    to give thanks to the name of the LORD.5   There thrones for judgment were set,    the thrones of the house of David. 6   Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!    “May they be secure who love you!7   Peace be within your walls    and security within your towers!”8   For my brothers and companions' sake    I will say, “Peace be within you!”9   For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,    I will seek your good. Footnotes [1] 122:4 Or as a testimony for

In 1087 the Saint's relics were taken from Myra in Lycia (on the southern coast of present-day Turkey) to the town of Bari in Italy. This was done due to a Muslim attack on Lycia. At that time Bari was Orthodox and under the administration of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Saint's relics now lie in a Roman Catholic church in Bari; each year the casket containing the relics is opened by a Roman Catholic and Orthodox bishop together, and quantities of fragrant myrrh are removed, for the healing and encouragement of the faithful.

In 1087 the Saint's relics were taken from Myra in Lycia (on the southern coast of present-day Turkey) to the town of Bari in Italy. This was done due to a Muslim attack on Lycia. At that time Bari was Orthodox and under the administration of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Saint's relics now lie in a Roman Catholic church in Bari; each year the casket containing the relics is opened by a Roman Catholic and Orthodox bishop together, and quantities of fragrant myrrh are removed, for the healing and encouragement of the faithful.

Brad Sykes and David Grey NTP close out the week Travel woes King Charles Unsafe t-shirt Dial-in podcast ChatGPT writes a Vegan inspired Bible Why is this happening to me? God anchors us in a storm. ------------------ Acts 27 (ESV) Paul Sails for Rome ​1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the ------------------ 5 Core Values of SWAT 1. God s Word 2. Prayer 3. Evangelism 4. Discipleship 5. Community ------------------ https://swatradio.com/ SWAT - Spiritual Warriors Advancing Truth Call us Toll-Free at: +1-844-777-7928 Email Us a Question: ask@swatradio.com FIND A SWAT MEETING Woody s Bar-B-Que 226 Solano Rd Ponte Vedra, FL 10611 Wed. 6:30-7:30 am IHOP 3250 Hodges Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32224 Wed. Night 7-8 pm Salem Centre 7235 Bonneval Rd Jacksonville, FL Wed. 12:00-1:00 pm Jumping Jax House of Food 10131 San Jose Blvd #12 Jacksonville, FL Thursday 6:30-7:30 am The Village Inn 900 Ponce De Leon Blvd St. Augustine, FL Friday 9:00-10:30 am Woodmen Valley Chapel - Woodmen Heights Campus 8292 Woodman Valley View Colorado Springs CO 80908 Thursdays 8-9:15 pm

Doug's guest today is Jay Haug Listener waring. Today is a Mature conversation and may not be suitable for younger listeners Sexual Intgrity Leaders Summit Pastor's Conference Daniel Weiss also from the Summit called in as part of the interview Links: https://sexualintegrityleaders.com/ http://www.livingwithoutlust.com/ ------------------ Acts 27 (ESV) Paul Sails for Rome ​1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea ------------------ 5 Core Values of SWAT 1. God s Word 2. Prayer 3. Evangelism 4. Discipleship 5. Community ------------------ https://swatradio.com/ SWAT - Spiritual Warriors Advancing Truth Call us Toll-Free at: +1-844-777-7928 Email Us a Question: ask@swatradio.com FIND A SWAT MEETING Woody s Bar-B-Que 226 Solano Rd Ponte Vedra, FL 10611 Wed. 6:30-7:30 am IHOP 3250 Hodges Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32224 Wed. Night 7-8 pm Salem Centre 7235 Bonneval Rd Jacksonville, FL Wed. 12:00-1:00 pm Jumping Jax House of Food 10131 San Jose Blvd #12 Jacksonville, FL Thursday 6:30-7:30 am The Village Inn 900 Ponce De Leon Blvd St. Augustine, FL Friday 9:00-10:30 am Woodmen Valley Chapel - Woodmen Heights Campus 8292 Woodman Valley View Colorado Springs CO 80908 Thursdays 8-9:15 pm

Brad is back from his road trip What day is this? Surgeon General report on loneliness "How People Change" Prayers for Doug's friend Bob as he struggles through some health issues. ------------------ Acts 27 (ESV) Paul Sails for Rome ​1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. ------------------ 5 Core Values of SWAT 1. God s Word 2. Prayer 3. Evangelism 4. Discipleship 5. Community ------------------ https://swatradio.com/ SWAT - Spiritual Warriors Advancing Truth Call us Toll-Free at: +1-844-777-7928 Email Us a Question: ask@swatradio.com FIND A SWAT MEETING Woody s Bar-B-Que 226 Solano Rd Ponte Vedra, FL 10611 Wed. 6:30-7:30 am IHOP 3250 Hodges Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32224 Wed. Night 7-8 pm Salem Centre 7235 Bonneval Rd Jacksonville, FL Wed. 12:00-1:00 pm Jumping Jax House of Food 10131 San Jose Blvd #12 Jacksonville, FL Thursday 6:30-7:30 am The Village Inn 900 Ponce De Leon Blvd St. Augustine, FL Friday 9:00-10:30 am Woodmen Valley Chapel - Woodmen Heights Campus 8292 Woodman Valley View Colorado Springs CO 80908 Thursdays 8-9:15 pm

Doug is joined by Ronnie McKinnon aka Pastor Will of All Saints Holiness Church Made out of olive wood What does it take to be moral? Happy Birthday wishes God funds the ministry Links: https://www.facebook.com/HouseOfGodSaintsInChrist/ ------------------ Acts 27 (ESV) Paul Sails for Rome ​1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea ------------------ 5 Core Values of SWAT 1. God s Word 2. Prayer 3. Evangelism 4. Discipleship 5. Community ------------------ https://swatradio.com/ SWAT - Spiritual Warriors Advancing Truth Call us Toll-Free at: +1-844-777-7928 Email Us a Question: ask@swatradio.com FIND A SWAT MEETING Woody s Bar-B-Que 226 Solano Rd Ponte Vedra, FL 10611 Wed. 6:30-7:30 am IHOP 3250 Hodges Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32224 Wed. Night 7-8 pm Salem Centre 7235 Bonneval Rd Jacksonville, FL Wed. 12:00-1:00 pm Jumping Jax House of Food 10131 San Jose Blvd #12 Jacksonville, FL Thursday 6:30-7:30 am The Village Inn 900 Ponce De Leon Blvd St. Augustine, FL Friday 9:00-10:30 am Woodmen Valley Chapel - Woodmen Heights Campus 8292 Woodman Valley View Colorado Springs CO 80908 Thursdays 8-9:15 pm

Old Testament: Joshua 12–13 Joshua 12–13 (Listen) Kings Defeated by Moses 12 Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah eastward: 2 Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the middle of the valley as far as the river Jabbok, the boundary of the Ammonites, that is, half of Gilead, 3 and the Arabah to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, and in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, southward to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah; 4 and Og1 king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei 5 and ruled over Mount Hermon and Salecah and all Bashan to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and over half of Gilead to the boundary of Sihon king of Heshbon. 6 Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the people of Israel defeated them. And Moses the servant of the LORD gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Kings Defeated by Joshua 7 And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments, 8 in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites): 9 the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; 10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; 11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; 12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; 13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; 14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; 16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; 17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; 19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; 20 the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; 21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; 22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; 23 the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Galilee,2 one; 24 the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings. Land Still to Be Conquered 13 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess. 2 This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites 3 (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of the Avvim, 4 in the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that belongs to the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the boundary of the Amorites, 5 and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath, 6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only allot the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you. 7 Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.” The Inheritance East of the Jordan 8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh3 the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them: 9 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland of Medeba as far as Dibon; 10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites; 11 and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah; 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out. 13 Yet the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, but Geshur and Maacath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day. 14 To the tribe of Levi alone Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the LORD God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him. 15 And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans. 16 So their territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the tableland by Medeba; 17 with Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the tableland; Dibon, and Bamoth-baal, and Beth-baal-meon, 18 and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Mephaath, 19 and Kiriathaim, and Sibmah, and Zereth-shahar on the hill of the valley, 20 and Beth-peor, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-jeshimoth, 21 that is, all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land. 22 Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain. 23 And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben, according to their clans with their cities and villages. 24 Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad, according to their clans. 25 Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites, to Aroer, which is east of Rabbah, 26 and from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of Debir,4 27 and in the valley Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary, to the lower end of the Sea of Chinnereth, eastward beyond the Jordan. 28 This is the inheritance of the people of Gad according to their clans, with their cities and villages. 29 And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans. 30 Their region extended from Mahanaim, through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities, 31 and half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, the cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. These were allotted to the people of Machir the son of Manasseh for the half of the people of Machir according to their clans. 32 These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho. 33 But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the LORD God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them. Footnotes [1] 12:4 Septuagint; Hebrew the boundary of Og [2] 12:23 Septuagint; Hebrew Gilgal [3] 13:8 Hebrew With it [4] 13:26 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew Lidebir (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 102 Psalm 102 (Listen) Do Not Hide Your Face from Me A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. 102   Hear my prayer, O LORD;  let my cry come to you!2   Do not hide your face from me    in the day of my distress!  Incline your ear to me;    answer me speedily in the day when I call! 3   For my days pass away like smoke,    and my bones burn like a furnace.4   My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;    I forget to eat my bread.5   Because of my loud groaning    my bones cling to my flesh.6   I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,    like an owl1 of the waste places;7   I lie awake;    I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.8   All the day my enemies taunt me;    those who deride me use my name for a curse.9   For I eat ashes like bread    and mingle tears with my drink,10   because of your indignation and anger;    for you have taken me up and thrown me down.11   My days are like an evening shadow;    I wither away like grass. 12   But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;    you are remembered throughout all generations.13   You will arise and have pity on Zion;    it is the time to favor her;    the appointed time has come.14   For your servants hold her stones dear    and have pity on her dust.15   Nations will fear the name of the LORD,    and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.16   For the LORD builds up Zion;    he appears in his glory;17   he regards the prayer of the destitute    and does not despise their prayer. 18   Let this be recorded for a generation to come,    so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:19   that he looked down from his holy height;    from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,20   to hear the groans of the prisoners,    to set free those who were doomed to die,21   that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD,    and in Jerusalem his praise,22   when peoples gather together,    and kingdoms, to worship the LORD. 23   He has broken my strength in midcourse;    he has shortened my days.24   “O my God,” I say, “take me not away    in the midst of my days—  you whose years endure    throughout all generations!” 25   Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,    and the heavens are the work of your hands.26   They will perish, but you will remain;    they will all wear out like a garment.  You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,27     but you are the same, and your years have no end.28   The children of your servants shall dwell secure;    their offspring shall be established before you. Footnotes [1] 102:6 The precise identity of these birds is uncertain (ESV) New Testament: Acts 27 Acts 27 (Listen) Paul Sails for Rome 27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast1 was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,2 we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,3 and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. 21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.” 27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.4 A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.5 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. 33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,6 for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 2767 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. The Shipwreck 39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,8 they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. Footnotes [1] 27:9 That is, the Day of Atonement [2] 27:16 Some manuscripts Clauda [3] 27:17 That is, the sea-anchor (or possibly the mainsail) [4] 27:28 About 120 feet; a fathom (Greek orguia) was about 6 feet or 2 meters [5] 27:28 About 90 feet (see previous note) [6] 27:34 Or For it is for your deliverance [7] 27:37 Some manuscripts seventy-six, or about seventy-six [8] 27:41 Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas (ESV)

With family: Genesis 28; Matthew 27 Genesis 28 (Listen) Jacob Sent to Laban 28 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. 3 God Almighty1 bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. Esau Marries an Ishmaelite 6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth. Jacob's Dream 10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder2 set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it3 and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel,4 but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” Footnotes [1] 28:3 Hebrew El Shaddai [2] 28:12 Or a flight of steps [3] 28:13 Or beside him [4] 28:19 Bethel means the house of God (ESV) Matthew 27 (Listen) Jesus Delivered to Pilate 27 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Judas Hangs Himself 3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus1 was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.” Jesus Before Pilate 11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. The Crowd Chooses Barabbas 15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified 24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood;2 see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged3 Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Jesus Is Mocked 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters,4 and they gathered the whole battalion5 before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. The Crucifixion 32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. The Death of Jesus 45 Now from the sixth hour6 there was darkness over all the land7 until the ninth hour.8 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son9 of God!” 55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Jesus Is Buried 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. The Guard at the Tomb 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard10 of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. Footnotes [1] 27:3 Greek he [2] 27:24 Some manuscripts this righteous blood, or this righteous man's blood [3] 27:26 A Roman judicial penalty, consisting of a severe beating with a multi-lashed whip containing embedded pieces of bone and metal [4] 27:27 Greek the praetorium [5] 27:27 Greek cohort; a tenth of a Roman legion, usually about 600 men [6] 27:45 That is, noon [7] 27:45 Or earth [8] 27:45 That is, 3 p.m. [9] 27:54 Or a son [10] 27:65 Or Take a guard (ESV) In private: Esther 4; Acts 27 Esther 4 (Listen) Esther Agrees to Help the Jews 4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4 When Esther's young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction,1 that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him2 on behalf of her people. 9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” 12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”3 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. Footnotes [1] 4:8 Or annihilation [2] 4:8 Hebrew and seek from before his face [3] 4:16 Hebrew if I am destroyed, then I will be destroyed (ESV) Acts 27 (Listen) Paul Sails for Rome 27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast1 was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. The Storm at Sea 13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,2 we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,3 and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. 21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.” 27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.4 A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.5 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. 33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,6 for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 2767 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. The Shipwreck 39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,8 they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. Footnotes [1] 27:9 That is, the Day of Atonement [2] 27:16 Some manuscripts Clauda [3] 27:17 That is, the sea-anchor (or possibly the mainsail) [4] 27:28 About 120 feet; a fathom (Greek orguia) was about 6 feet or 2 meters [5] 27:28 About 90 feet (see previous note) [6] 27:34 Or For it is for your deliverance [7] 27:37 Some manuscripts seventy-six, or about seventy-six [8] 27:41 Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas (ESV)

Our beloved holy Father Nicholas is, along with St George (and second to the All-holy Theotokos), probably the best-loved Saint of the Church. His numberless miracles through the ages, on behalf of the countless Christians who have called on him, cannot be told.   He was born in Lycia (in Asia Minor) around the end of the third century, to pious Christian parents. His love of virtue, and his zeal for observing the canons of the Church, were evident from his infancy, when he would abstain from his mother's breast every Wednesday and Friday until the evening. From early youth he was inclined to solitude and silence; in fact, not a single written or spoken word of the Saint has come down to us. Though ordained a priest by his uncle, Archbishop Nicholas, he attempted to withdraw to a hermit's life in the Holy Land; but he was told by revelation that he was to return home to serve the Church publicly and be the salvation of many souls.   When his parents died, he gave away all of his inheritance to the needy, and thereafter almsgiving was his greatest glory. He always took particular care that his charity be done in secret. Perhaps the most famous story of his open-handedness concerns a debt-ridden man who had no money to provide dowries for his daughters, or even to support them, and in despair had resolved to give them into prostitution. On three successive nights the Saint threw a bag of gold into the window of the man's house, saving him and his daughters from sin and hopelessness. The man searched relentlessly to find and thank his benefactor; when at last he discovered that it was Nicholas, the Saint made him promise not to reveal the good deed until after he had died. (This story may be the thin thread that connects the Saint with the modern-day Santa Claus).   God honored his faithfulness by granting him unparalleled gifts of healing and wonderworking. Several times he calmed storms by his prayers and saved the ship that he was sailing in. Through the centuries he has often done the same for sailors who call out to him, and is considered the patron of sailors and all who go to sea.   He was elected Bishop of Myra not long before the great persecutions under Diocletian and Maximian (c. 305), and was put in prison, from which he continued to encourage his flock in the Faith. When the Arian heresy wracked the Church not long after Constantine came to the throne, St Nicholas was one of the 318 Bishops who gathered in Nicea in 325. There he was so incensed at the blasphemies of Arius that he struck him on the face. This put the other bishops in a quandary, since the canons require that any hierarch who strikes anyone must be deposed. Sadly, they prepared to depose the holy Nicholas; but in the night the Lord Jesus and the most Holy Theotokos appeared to them, telling them that the Saint had acted solely out of love for Truth, not from hatred or passion, and that they should not act against him.   While still in the flesh, he sometimes miraculously appeared in distant places to save the lives of the faithful. He once saved the city of Myra from famine by appearing to the captain of a ship full of grain, telling him to take his cargo to the city. He appeared in a dream to Constantine to intercede for the lives of three Roman officers who had been falsely condemned; the three grateful soldiers later became monks.   The holy bishop reposed in peace around 345. His holy relics were placed in a church built in his honor in Myra, where they were venerated by throngs of pilgrims every year. In 1087, after Myra was conquered by the Saracens, the Saint's relics were translated to Bari in southern Italy, where they are venerated today. Every year, quantities of fragrant myrrh are gathered from the casket containing his holy relics.