Monday, March 9, 2020

Coronavirus Prayer. CDC. Where Is Lent in the Bible? What Are Ash Wednesday and Lent? Update.

Coronavirus Prayer

“A controversial photo provides us an important reminder.

VP Mike Pence praying with coronavirus task forceVP Pence ridiculed for praying with coronavirus task force

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/eiphnCKLhbk

[Darris McNeely] We’re all still watching news about the coronavirus as it continues to spread among the nations. More than 80,000 people have been infected by it, more than 3,000 people have died as of the last news report that I had on this subject. And we are still very much fearful of where it will go and what will happen even as nations such as the United States take the necessary precautions to shield its citizens and to work toward a vaccine to ward this off. We’re not out of the woods yet, but there is hope and there is reason to expect that we will see better days on this.

An interesting picture came up on the internet recently. In the United States, President Trump has appointed Vice President Pence to head up the team, the task force that is dealing with the coronavirus. In a meeting in the offices of the vice president, before they began, they did something that you see on that picture there. They all bound their heads and they asked a prayer. Pretty good thing, to ask prayer for something like the coronavirus or any other type of a pandemic or serious national crisis and emergency. It’s unbelievable, the criticism that came as a result of this picture when it got posted on the internet and what people thought. Critics, people of different ideas about God, Bible, religion, criticizing leaders praying for wisdom and for God’s hand and his intervention in this world crisis that is developing this pandemic of coronavirus. It brought to mind a scripture.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14, it says from God to the people of Israel what to do at a time of crisis. It says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Those were God’s words to His people. Those were God’s words to any people, and they are words that we should listen to today.

I have no problem with the vice president leading a group prayer as they try to tackle this problem, and seek a solution, and come to a point for it. We should applaud that, and we all should go to God and ask God to give us wisdom and to heal our land. There may be a bigger crisis that will hit this land that will teach us this very same lesson, to call out to God, and to ask for his mercy, and ask for his help.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/coronavirus-prayer

________

Don’t be alarmed by the media’s reports on Coronavirus, just check with the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

________

Where Is Lent in the Bible?

“The Bible shows the truth behind popular customs like Lent.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZsLnzmTEegY

[Steve Myers] Christianity has now entered the Lenten season. Mardi Gras is passed, Fat Tuesday into Ash Wednesday, and now the Lenten season is recognized by much of the Christian world. But when you check out what your Bible has to say about Lent, you’re not gonna find anything. It’s a man-made tradition, and when you recognize what God thinks about counterfeiting his way, it’s a very serious thing.

There is a powerful passage in the book of Colossians, Colossians 3:23. This is what God inspired Paul to write. “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”  You see the problem with false Christianity, made up Christianity, false traditions, they do a disservice to God and dishonor him. And when you really check out the basis for these practices, you’ll find them rooted in false beliefs, paganism.

I hope you’ll take some time to check it out. If you’ll search on our website, just type in the words “Lent,” and you’ll find a number of articles where you can get into the details of how Lent is an imposter, how it is fake, how is it a counterfeit to what the true God wants us to observe. So check it out, I think you’ll be surprised by what you find.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/where-is-lent-in-the-bible

_______

What Are Ash Wednesday and Lent? Does the Bible Tell Us to Celebrate

These Days?

“After Mardi Gras comes Ash Wednesday and 40 days of Lent. Did the early New Testament Church observe these days?

A block letter sign that spells out the word "Lent".Enterline Design Services LLC/iStock/Thinkstock

The Bible does teach the importance of fasting and self-examination, but it does not teach a 40-day period called Lent or an Ash Wednesday of putting ashes on the forehead.

The Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday or Lent, and the early New Testament Church did not observe these days. Here is how the BBC Religion page describes Ash Wednesday and Lent:

“Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for Western Christian churches. It’s a day of penitence to clean the soul before the Lent fast.

“Roman Catholic, Anglican, and some other churches hold special services at which worshippers are marked with ashes as a symbol of death and sorrow for sin…

“The Christian churches that observe Lent in the 21st century (and not all do significantly) use it as a time for prayer and penance. Only a small number of people today fast for the whole of Lent, although some maintain the practice on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. It is more common these days for believers to surrender a particular vice such as favourite foods or smoking” (BBC).

Lent is counted differently by those of the Western Catholic tradition and those of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. “The western church excludes Sundays (which is celebrated as the day of Christ’s resurrection) whereas the eastern church includes them. The churches also start Lent on different days. Western churches start Lent on the 7th Wednesday before Easter Day (called Ash Wednesday). Eastern churches start Lent on the Monday of the 7th week before Easter and end it on the Friday 9 days before Easter. Eastern churches call this period the ‘Great Lent’” (BBC).

Various biblical events and customs are referred to by those who celebrate these days. The Bible mentions people mourning in sackcloth and ashes. The Bible also talks about repentance and fasting, and the number 40 is prominent in various biblical events.

“The justification for the Lenten 40-day preparation for Easter is traditionally based on Jesus’ 40-day wilderness fast before His temptation by Satan (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, ‘Lent’; Matthew 4:1-2; Mark 1:13). The problem with this explanation is that this incident is not connected in any way with Jesus’ supposed observance of Easter. The 40-day pre-Easter practice of fasting and penance did not originate in the Bible” (The Good Friday—Easter Sunday Question).

Some have suggested that Lent may be connected to earlier, pagan holidays. In Ezekiel 8:14, the prophet in vision saw women weeping for the pagan god Tammuz. “It has been suggested by some scholars that the practice of ‘weeping for Tammuz’ was the actual origin of Lent, the Roman Catholic 40-day period of abstinence prior to Easter (starting after Mardi Gras, ‘Fat Tuesday,’ on Ash Wednesday). Consider that the name Easter itself is derived from Ishtar, the ancient Babylonian fertility goddess and Tammuz’s mother”. (See the Bible commentary on Ezekiel 8 for details.)

The Bible does teach the importance of fasting and self-examination, but it does not teach a 40-day period called Lent or an Ash Wednesday of putting ashes on the forehead. These customs appear to have pagan origins.  We seek to follow the customs and practices of the early New Testament Church as described in the Bible. For more on the biblical religious festivals, such as the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the spring, see God’s Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/what-are-ash-wednesday-and-lent-does-the-bible-tell-us-to-celebrate-these-days

_______

Update.

Apart from the bible studies here and going grocery shopping in College Station, there hasn’t been much to report.  My medical situation changed so I had to confer with the agent to get a different policy with United Care.  She was very thorough and helpful so now I will have a DO instead of an MD for my doctor.  Most MDs, all they know is how to write prescriptions.  DOs have a different kind of training, I hope this one is like that!

The most notable thing this last week was that my little abused, rescued dog, Foxie, finally got the message that it was OK to pee, and no one was going to punish her for peeing again.  She used to be so afraid when she wet her blankie and would tremble and try to hide it she was so afraid of being punished.  With lots of praise every time she peed outside, she got the message that it was OK and then she would smile, like an American Eskimo can.  Now she will wait until she is taken outside and doesn’t pee on her blankie any more.  But she is still terrified of strangers and will tremble when she sees them.  Now she has gone to an SPCA friend of mine who has a fenced yard, who will train her some more, and get her spayed.  I miss Foxie, but she needed a place to run, play with other dogs, and not be on a leash all the time. 

For the church potluck I made a pot full of organic veggies.  They don’t serve meat there at that church. The sermon was “Why Keep The Sabbath” and why it is a Sabbath made for man to rest on the seventh day.

No comments: