Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem(4/20/23)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 4/20/23 | left that other site

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

_______________________________________________________

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Our Father in Heaven,
How Blessed and Holy is Your Most Wonderful Name!
Sanctified, Magnified, and Blessed are You,
Oh LORD, Our God,
King of The Universe,
Ancient of Days,
Rock of Ages!
Let our Song Praise Your Saving Power,
For You,
Amid the Raging Foes,
Are Our Sheltering Tower.
We Pray that the enemy will not get a foothold
Anymore in the minds and hearts of the people.
We Pray for an END to antisemitism,
lies, propaganda, slander,
and blood libel that is perpetrated against Your Beloved.
We Pray for Our Brothers and Sisters
held captive in Muslim Countries.
We Pray for an End to slavery,
both physical and spiritual.
We Speak to the pharaohs,
to the powers and principalities of this present age:
LET MY PEOPLE GO!
HALLELUJAH AND AMEN

Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins
of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance.
Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.

This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

_______________________________________________________

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

April is a strange time to be talking about Christmas, but it's the perfect time to talk about Taxes. The Tax Code is so complex that a whole industry exists just to help people fill out the forms necessary to pay one's taxes. Not only does the government take your money, but then they expect you to do all the math figuring out how much you owe, and make up the difference. If, on the other hand, the government owes YOU money, it is incumbent upon YOU to figure this out and petition (via a Tax Return) for a refund. Whoever owes what, the Return is mandated, and you can get into big trouble if you neglect it. Tax accountants can charge hundreds of dollars to fill out the forms for you, and, even so, they sometimes make mistakes. Jesus never said that we should refuse to pay taxes, but it sometimes irks me anyway.

Of the Four Evangelists, Luke is the only one who places the Birth of Jesus into an Historical Context. Since he took the trouble to do this, let's examine it more closely.

First of all, Luke says that this occurred during the reign of Caesar Augustus. That was not the name of the man, but a Title. His real name was Octavian, and he was an important figure in Roman Politics during the time of Cleopatra. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, there was a Power Struggle between Marc Antony and Octavian, culminating in The Battle of Actium. Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra, causing the latter to limp back to Egypt in disgrace. Shakespeare and Hollywood have had a wonderful time building the mythology of the lovers' double suicide, and most of us envision Richard Burton and Liz Taylor in their romantic death throes on camera.

However the scene evolved in reality, it resulted in the elevation of Octavian as the Emperor of the Roman Empire, and eventually, as a "god". During Octavian's Rule, there was a period of Peace called The Pax Romana. That is perhaps an oversimplification, because any time one People is oppressed by another, it's not really a time of Peace. (But I digress!)

Luke places his narrative right in the midst of the Pax Romana. He further narrows it down to "When Quinirius was Governor of Syria". Quinirius served two terms as Governor, with a gap in between. (From 6-4 BC and from 6-9 AD). He had a census for Tax Purposes during both of his administrations. The events that unfold took place during the First Census.

The rules of registration were far more onerous than just finding a tax accountant in your area. One had to travel to the city of one's ancestors to register. That would be like me having to go from Florida to Boston every year to file my Tax Return. Women, although they had very few rights, were also required to register from the age of 12 onward. Since Joseph and Mary were both of the Ancestry of David, that meant that they both had to make the three-day journey to Bethlehem. I can attest that, even on an air-conditioned tour bus, the route is very rugged and inhospitable. Not to mention that there were hundreds of others making the same journey with no guarantee of accommodations at their destination.

And so, the Stage is Set for the Nativity of the Messiah.

Antony and Cleopatra had no clue what their love affair would eventually lead to.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[DarthVader]

Amen !!! <><

Psalm 124

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.

6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, DarthVader, For Your Prayers and Wonderful Psalm For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Hiskid]

“and it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” Nothing new under the sun...

Amen and amen.

[etabeta]

My prayers always. God bless.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Hiskid, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[NEWwoman]

So appropriate as it snowed last night!

Christmas in April.

But you got tax season right.

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America.

[TianaHighrider]

Thank you and prayers up 🙏

[Jeanbl]

AMEN, thank you. Joining in prayer.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, NEWwoman, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, TianaHighrider, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Jeanbl, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS