A Shower of Roses

Yarn Along Shrug

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 21:16:00 +0000

This week, I'm working, sporadically, on a Simple Shrug that I can keep in the car for those spare minutes during day trips. It's very simple, perfect for the car. And since I'm doing a lot of hand sewing in the house, the car is the best place to keep my current knit!

The yarn is an mohair acrylic blend that I recently acquired for free. (Someone donated a huge amount of old yarn for our AHG troop's Warm Up America project, but can use only acrylic for that. These 2 skeins of what looks like a really old label are actually very nice. I'm enjoying the project and I love the soft green. Winning!

I finished listening to All the Light We Cannot See the other day. I knew absolutely nothing about it, but I requested it since it has been so popular in the past year. Pulitzer Prize winner, eh? I did enjoy the story---WWII has always been a favorite subject---but I have a couple of bones to pick with the author. First, I'm not a fan of verbizing nouns. (I know, I just did it.) Ugh. The whole book is full of nouns-turned-verbs in an effort to make the language more colorful and picturesque. It seemed very elementary to me, and don't editors care about that sort of thing? Or do they just chalk it up to "style"? It was a constant distraction from the story as I would hear it and then start thinking about I would re-write the same sentence to create the same scene without using made-up words. Then I had to rewind....it got old. Second, it felt as if there were a half-dozen or more epilogues at the end. I like a story to be wrapped up, and I love knowing what happened to the main characters, but this seemed excessive. It was as if he wasn't sure where or how to end the book and his editor didn't bother to say..."Here. This is a good spot to wrap it up!"

I don't consider myself a fabulous writer, by any means, but some of the stuff that makes it past editors these days in books or newspapers boggles my mind. Am I the only one who feels this way?

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is reading! I'm sure that I chose that book based on seeing it in many Yarn Alongs. Yarns Along? Editor? ;-)

Alabama Chanin Stitching

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 15:14:00 +0000

Here is Meg's dress that I finished on Sunday night. I love the Alabama Chanin designs which are so customizable! Meg wanted a simple dress, and this dress, while it has 6 gores, is pretty simple. The only embellishment is the embroidery on all the seams. She didn't want any appliques which are an Alabama Chanin trademark.

The big problem we have with dresses is that my Margie has long legs and the already-too-short styles in the stores are even worse on her and not at all appropriate for Mass (or anything else, in my opinion). When I cut out this dress, I added an extra inch or so---using the marking for the next size up.

She chose the blue because she loves Cinderella, and we added the cap sleeves for Mass and the the princess look.

She also chose the pretty rosebud stitch in silver floss for embellishment. It's lovely, but it took 3 days of intensive stitching and binge-watching! All the seams are hand-sewn with very sturdy button-craft thread, and assembly took a little more than one full day. It's much faster to whip together on a machine, but the simple running stitch was pleasant to do and you don't run into any issues of accidentally stretching the material as you sew. I found the sleeves much easier to do by hand than by machine!

It's funny that so many hours go into the assembly and embellishing, but then no hemming is required on the sleeves or skirt! Such a fun project! I have a couple of dresses of my own that I'm also working on now, and more material to make her another skirt.

PHFR - Spring Break

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:47:00 +0000

Linking up with the ladies at Like Mother Like Daughter

I'm so late to the link-up this week. I thought I was doing well by uploading the photos on Friday, but somehow the post never got written. Better late than never! Life can always use a little pretty, happy, funny, and real, no matter what day of the week it is! (ha! missed the linkup!)

{pretty}

This corner in my neighborhood is the Most Beautiful. I've probably told you about it before, but there are 5 large cherry trees there and it's magnificent. I often wonder how the neighbors would feel if I brought a blanket and a book and camped out for the afternoon to read underneath them!

On a spectacular spring day we had a tennis match near here, so Pip wanted to go early and hike up to the "Indian Seats". We had gotten a late start, so we had to hike pretty quickly the 3.8 miles round trip. I spread out a blanket on the grass at the tennis match and promptly fell asleep!

{happy}

Between knitting projects, I've just been making pompoms like crazy! They're so much fun, and the oblong basket is now on my kitchen table as a centerpiece of pompoms. LOL.

{funny}

Meg has been reading The Hobbit in school, and they had to paint peg dolls as some of the characters and illustrate a particular scene. She started this project pretty much at the last minute and spent a full day painting these guys. Who are they? Can't you tell? Gandalf in the back, Thorin Oakenshield, Fili & Kili in the middle, and Bilbo in the front. She did such an amazing job that I want to order some large peg dolls and paint little wooden saints with her.

{real}

Last week was spring break, so we celebrated by having Pippo's wisdom teeth extracted! That kept me home most of the week, and not a little bit bored. I started knitting a shrug which I'll show you later this week (maybe!), but it just wasn't keeping my attention.

I got an irresistible urge to sew, instead of knit, while making pompoms. It's crazy how that happens around Easter when it's really too late to make anything like an Easter dress! I wanted to make Meg an Alabama Chanin jersey dress, and she picked out Cinderella blue for her fabric. It's completely handsewn-----com.plete.ly-----and I just finished the 15.6 feet of embroidery on the princess seams last night. I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I can't wait to show you!

Happy Easter Octave!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 22:33:00 +0000

Happy Easter!

It was a beautiful Easter Day! Not weather-wise, but in my heart and in my home. We went to the first Mass of the day which was quite lovely. All my offspring managed to make it home for the day where we ate lots of food and sweets, played Quiplash, and laughed hysterically.

I made peppermint pattys and almond-butter cups for the first time. They are yummy, but more satisfying than boughten candies, so they will be with us a while longer!

I think the crazy, Georgia pine pollen has peaked, so it is safe to enjoy the rest of the gorgeous spring! Unless you have allergies, in which case you may be miserable for a while longer.

But...

Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Lenten Yarn Along

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Have you seen the Panama Hat video/pattern? It's super-cute! One of my friends begged me for one, so I got to work with some white Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino that I had on hand. I've never used it before, but it's gorgeous and perfect for a child's knit. Feels wonderful, knits beautifully (or crochets, as the case may be!), and I'm sure it won't be scratchy at all. You know how kids hate scratchy stuff!

I found some free flower patterns at All-free Crochet to add to it in her favorite colors of pink and purple.

Unfortunately, the hat-recipient is a little punkin, even though she's 6 (?), so it was too big and I had to make another, slightly smaller. The extra one is in the shop over at Rosy Knits for someone who needs an Easter Bonnet!

The book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, was a gift from my husband when I suddenly felt the need to give up Facebook at the start of Lent. I haven't gotten far because I have a stack of other books to amuse myself with, but I expect it will be very interesting, and, perhaps, just slightly depressing. It was first published in 1985, with this 20th Anniversary edition released in 2005, and if we were amusing ourselves to death 30 years ago, the problem is infinitely greater now with the advent of home computers, laptops, smartphones, unlimited streaming data plans, and more. Have you read it?

This little punkin belongs to a friend. Teeny-tiny at just a few pounds, I was compelled to whip up a crocheted sweater to help her stay warm! "Mom" hadn't been able to find one small enough. No, that's not it in the photo, that is her leash harness.

Lent Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 15:53:00 +0000

I'll bet you thought I gave up blogging for Lent! Not really; it has just fallen way on the back-burner lately for lots of reasons. I think I'm coming back....because I need an outlet for me. I am finding myself to be in a weird phase of life with 4 of my 6 children out of the house and the remaining two frequently in their rooms 90% of the time when they ARE home! Strangely, my life no longer revolves around my children and I've been at loose ends a little, lately.

I could get back to painting the trim in the basement, which I abandoned around Thanksgiving because Holidays, you know. I'm going to do that because it needs to be done, and I'm am also going to do some other things for myself.

I have plans to knit (of course), and sew, and read, and walk (a lot), and maybe blog. It is time to start remembering who I was before children....Well, maybe not. I am a different, hopefully better, person than I was before children, so I can't ever go back to that, but I can test the waters and find out who this new person is when she's not busy with Mom Stuff.

{PHFR} Winter Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 14:40:00 +0000

Linking up with the ladies at Like Mother Like Daughter

I started this post on January 29, and never finished it! I don't know what's up with me and blogging these days; it doesn't seem to be much of a priority, even though I generally enjoy sharing. I guess life is busy and I have other priorities. Say hi and tell me what's up with you!
{pretty}

Pretty yarn that I got for Christmas is turning into a pair of socks for me. Although, halfway through the second sock they seem to be on hiatus! Something else caught my eye. You know how it is! This yarn, though, is really weird; I've never seen yarn like this that is a completely different color in the sunlight. The blues turn into a greenish gray, so I'm not actually sure what color they are. What do you see? Of course, this is an indoor picture so they probably look blue.

{happy}

I was having a bad day when I started this, so I sat down with my remote control, Netflix, and my new pompom maker. Pompoms are fun and good for the soul. ;-)

{funny}

Pip wanted a Beardo for his birthday, so everyone had to try it on. Katie wore it best.

{real}

I love this wool mitten. Did I show it to you when I made it (them)? Well, I lost one at the March for Life in DC. I had them on over my fleece gloves, but if I wanted to use my phone, I had to take off the mitten. Did that several times, and somehow I lost one. I'm pretty sure I have some more yarn, so I should be able to make another. They were really nice and warm. :-(

Our winter seems to be almost over. Lots of 60+ degree days in the forecast. I may not need my wool mittens much more for a while.

A Snowy March for Life

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 15:16:00 +0000

Praising God that I am home from a whirlwind trip to Washington, DC, for the annual March for Life with some American Heritage Girls during the biggest storm of the century!

Our girls have wanted to make this trip for over a year, and it has been in the plans since October. The weather can always be unpredictable in January, but you can imagine the alarm at the dire weather forecasts for the past week or so!

Thankfully, our departure was scheduled for Thursday, the day before the storm started in DC, and we were on a charter bus with a church group, so we had no ability to cancel and get our money back. Individuals may have backed out, but the bus was going. We arrived in Washington in good time to take the Metro to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for a beautiful Mass for Life. We didn't lose ourselves or any girls on the subway thanks to our experienced host and matching red hats!

Well-bundled and excited girls headed out Friday morning to meet with Senate staffers at the Senate building before a brief walking tour on the way to the rally at the Washington Monument. It was awesome to see so many religious sisters and priests and brothers in their habits on the way to the rally!

The snow began precisely at one with the beginning of the March, and it was snowing heavily by the time we reached the Supreme Court. No one cared about the snow; the atmosphere was joyful and determined to end the scourge of abortion in our country because life is truly beautiful in all its forms.

Saturday we awoke to about 20" of snow, closed Metro, and no sightseeing to do. That was sad, but our snow-starved Georgia girls did play in the snow for a while before taking a walk through Georgetown. Fortunately, blizzard force winds didn't begin until around three, so we had all the time outside that we wanted! We had a couple of group meetings in the lobby that were very beneficial, discussing the March and our impressions, and then meeting the founder of PATH (Post abortion Treatment and Healing). That was very informative for the girls---and her, too, since she didn't know about AHG!

Leaving on time on Sunday was very much in the air, and we ended up leaving at noon instead of 8 a.m. giving us a verrry long day! It was a great trip and I am so happy and proud that we didn't cancel and we were part of the smaller-than-usual, but determined crowd. There were approximately 50,000 marchers while there are normally 500,000-800,000! (Not that you would know that from watching network, mainstream news. They steadfastly ignore the March or show tight shots without giving any hint of the true size of the peaceful, loving demonstration!)

I hope you know that marching and hoping to repeal Roe v. Wade is not an indictment of post-abortive women. We love them and want the best for them, and we want to create a culture where life (and the amazing, unique ability of women to GIVE life) is respected. We don't want more women to experience the pain of abortion and its aftermath; we want them to give life to their children, and if they can't raise them, to give them to one of the millions of loving couples experiencing infertility.

A couple of other good reads for you: The Remedy for Legal Abortion at Like Mother, Like Daughter, and what to do if you Can't Make the #Marchforlife

^And this girl is beautiful! She was so excited about the snow and spent her 14th birthday on a bus. Bless her little heart!

Sock Knitting

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 14:06:00 +0000

My goal was to finish these socks by yesterday, but no such luck. I've tried, but maybe I underestimated how long it takes me to knit a sock. I thought it was a pair in a week, but it seems to be closer to one week per sock! I also expected them to be shorter than they are turning out to be---the ball of yarn doesn't seem to get any smaller no matter how hard I knit!

Well, I have lots of time for knitting today, so if I don't get distracted by Brooklyn or the crochet project I brought, I might be able to start the second sock. I don't think I will get to wear them for the winter weather this weekend, but I tried!

Oh, and Brooklyn? Loved the movie, loving the book as well.

Friday Funday Quick Takes

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 22:40:00 +0000

~Linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum. Drop in for more Quick Takes. ~

I seem to be having such a hard time getting back into the blogging groove! I guess because it's Birthday Month around here, and after Christmas we've been celebrating birthdays and doing a lot of planning for American Heritage Girls. It's been fairly busy and I'm hoping to take down the Christmas decorations tomorrow! Today, though, I thought I would give you a little snapshot, or seven, of what my day has been like. :-)

8:00 a.m. Dropped off Pip for school after an extra-long, extra-rainy drive. Seriously yucky weather, and I'm really disappointed in Google for telling me that today was just going to be 'cloudy'!
9:00 a.m. After sitting in the car at Chik Fil A, in the pouring rain, knitting and checking FB for an hour while Meg sleeps, it's time to try to rouse her!
10:00 a.m. I've had coffee and hash browns and she is working on her homework while I check my blogs, email, and work on my sock.
11:00 a.m. We've chatted with the lovely, German hostess for a little bit about knitting and local yarn shops, and Meg is about out of work to do. She still has math, but her old-fashioned, wooden pencils broke and don't come with replacement leads.
12:00 p.m. In lieu of math, we have spent the last hour planning an AHG event that she is in charge of executing. We've researched, come up with an email, a flyer, a schedule of events, and even put together a crossword puzzle for one of the activities. I love online puzzle makers! They have always added a little extra fun to homeschooling. So, now we'll order a little lunch for Pip and myself before heading out to school. (Meg ate at some point in the morning!)
1:00 p.m. We delivered Pip's lunch, and Meg has her 2 Friday classes, art and drama. I wait. Usually, I walk with a friend and then knit the last hour or so. Today was just knitting and chatting with other moms and admins.
4:00 p.m. Finally home and fried from my long, tiring day! It would be better if I had gotten that hourlong walk in, but alas. When I got home my Fitbit read 748 steps!!!! It's going to be really hard to hit 10,000 today! Even yesterday's 12,000+ won't make up for that.

I hope your day was sunnier and filled with much more movement than mine. Tell me what you did today. Have a great 3-day weekend!

An Epiphany Yarn Along

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 21:13:00 +0000

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here. I would love for you to join me over at Ginny's every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! Share your photo on your blog, on Instagram (#yarnalong), or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

Happy New Year!

Blessed Feast of the Epiphany!

Happy birthday to my 4th child who turns 20 today!

I feel as if I have been in a cave----a Christmassy cave, but a cave, nonetheless---since December 25! Visiting with family, celebrating, unwinding from all the activity and stress before Christmas (and during Christmas) has been great, but I have been avoiding most responsibilities, email, and the outside world, in general. I have this tendency to turn inward and let everything else go in order to focus on family or the holiday.

Annnd, now we are back to the real world! All the decorations are still up and I love it. Saturday afternoon we will probably take down the sad-looking, needle-dropping tree, but everything else will likely wait until I have spare moments here and there. I like to linger over the process, if I can.

Oh, but you stopped in for a Yarn Along, didn't you! I started (and restarted) (and restarted) this Age of Brass and Steam kerchief with a skein that I got for Christmas. It's Madelinetosh tosh dk in the Steam Age colorway---which I thought very appropriate for the Brass and Steam kerchief. What's funny is that I got a skein of sock yarn from Malabrigo in almost the exact same colors! That one is wound up into 2 balls ready to start a pair of socks for moi.

Lately, I've mostly been reading magazines at night since we just got a subscription to InStyle magazine. Over Christmas I listened to The Girl on the Train which was a very good mystery. Rachel, the girl on the train, has a miserable commute to and from London every day and makes up a story about a couple who lives near the tracks at one of the stops. She sees them often enough that when the woman of the house disappears, Rachel has some help to offer the police. I would be interested to see it made into a movie if someone could do justice to the voyeuristic perspective offered and keep the mystery going. I was pretty surprised by the outcome!

Happy Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 01:12:00 +0000

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

I'm sorry I bailed on the "O Antiphons" at the end of Advent; it got too busy around here----something I am sure you can identify with! I often wonder how bloggers with busy lives manage to post as much as they do, but I am not one of those. Busy, yes, likely to blog through it all, no.

After midnight Mass and opening gifts in the middle of the night, we spent the day eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping some more! A shockingly early Christmas dinner---at 11:30 a.m.---was actually a nice idea. It meant we didn't need to fix breakfast, and, in fact, needed to wake up people to so they could eat. We did that so our oldest son could get to work at 2:00. Then we just pulled everything back out (truth: my daughter did) to munch on later. It has been a very restful day!

I hope that your Christmas was filled with the joy of Christ's coming and family. Praying for the best of blessings on all my readers in 2016

xo,

Sara

Jesse Tree Day 24

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

My favorite Advent tradition is reading daily scripture passages that start with creation and cover all the major episodes in salvation history through the birth of Christ. I hope you will enjoy sharing these readings at your dinner table with the lighted Advent wreath as much as I have over the years.

Your light will come, O Jerusalem. The Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty. We shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. The sign of the cross shall appear in the heavens, when our lord shall come to judge the world. ----A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions

Day 24 ~ Daniel

Ornament: lion(s)

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{Daniel 6:12-23}

Daniel

12 Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the interdict, “O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that any man who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they answered before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no heed to you, O king, or the interdict you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed, and set his mind to deliver Daniel; and he labored till the sun went down to rescue him.15 Then these men came by agreement[a] to the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict or ordinance which the king establishes can be changed.”

16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace, and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

Daniel Saved from the Lions

19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions.20 When he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish and said to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live for ever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of hurt was found upon him, beause he had trusted in his God.

Jesse Tree Day 23

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 23 ~ Jeremiah

Ornament: a stone

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{Jeremiah 30: 21-22}

Jeremiah 30

Restoration Promised for Israel and Judah

30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”

4 These are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:

5 “Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
    of terror, and no peace.
6 Ask now, and see,
    can a man bear a child?
Why then do I see every man
    with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor?
    Why has every face turned pale?
7 Alas! that day is so great
    there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
    yet he shall be saved out of it.

8 “And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord of hosts, that I will break the yoke from off their[a] neck, and I will burst their[b] bonds, and strangers shall no more make servants of them.[c][d] 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

10 “Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, says the Lord,
    nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for lo, I will save you from afar,
    and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
    and none shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with you to save you,
                says the Lord;
I will make a full end of all the nations
    among whom I scattered you,
    but of you I will not make a full end.
I will chasten you in just measure,
    and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

12 “For thus says the Lord:
Your hurt is incurable,
    and your wound is grievous.
13 There is none to uphold your cause,
    no medicine for your wound,
    no healing for you.
14 All your lovers have forgotten you;
    they care nothing for you;
for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy,
    the punishment of a merciless foe,
because your guilt is great,
    because your sins are flagrant.
15 Why do you cry out over your hurt?
    Your pain is incurable.
Because your guilt is great,
    because your sins are flagrant,
    I have done these things to you.
16 Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured,
    and all your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
those who despoil you shall become a spoil,
    and all who prey on you I will make a prey.
17 For I will restore health to you,
    and your wounds I will heal,
                says the Lord,
because they have called you an outcast:
    ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’

18 “Thus says the Lord:
Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob,
    and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city shall be rebuilt upon its mound,
    and the palace shall stand where it used to be.
19 Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving,
    and the voices of those who make merry.
I will multiply them, and they shall not be few;
    I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.
20 Their children shall be as they were of old,
    and their congregation shall be established before me;
    and I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their prince shall be one of themselves,
    their ruler shall come forth from their midst;
I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me,
    for who would dare of himself to approach me?
                says the Lord.
22 And you shall be my people,
    and I will be your God.”

23 Behold the storm of the Lord!
    Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
    it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
    until he has executed and accomplished
    the intents of his mind.
In the latter days you will understand this.

Jesse Tree Day 22

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 22 ~ Isaiah

Ornament: scroll

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman[a][b]shall conceive and bear[c] a son, and shall call his name Imman′u-el.[d]

Jesse Tree Day 21

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 21 ~ Esther

Ornament: the queen's crown

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{Esther 2:17}

Esther 7

17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

7 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. 4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasu-e′rus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, that would presume to do this?” 6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was in terror before the king and the queen. 7 And the king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was; and the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then said Harbo′na, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, “Moreover, the gallows which Haman has prepared for Mor′decai, whose word saved the king, is standing in Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” 10 And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mor′decai. Then the anger of the king abated.

Jesse Tree Day 20

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 09:30:00 +0000

Day 20 ~ Judith

Ornament: Sword

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{Judith 13:7-10}

Judith

Judith Beheads Holofernes

13 When evening came, his slaves quickly withdrew, and Bago′as closed the tent from outside and shut out the attendants from his master’s presence; and they went to bed, for they all were weary because the banquet had lasted long.2 So Judith was left alone in the tent , with Holofer′nes stretched out on his bed, for he was overcome with wine.

3 Now Judith had told her maid to stand outside the bedchamber and to wait for her to come out, as she did every day; for she said she would be going out for her prayers. And she had said the same thing to Bago′as. 4 So every one went out, and no one, either small or great, was left in the bedchamber. Then Judith, standing beside his bed, said in her heart, “O Lord God of all might, look in this hour upon the work of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. 5 For now is the time to help thy inheritance, and to carry out my undertaking for the destruction of the enemies who have risen up against us.”

6 She went up to the post at the end of the bed, above Holofer′nes’ head, and took down his sword that hung there. 7 She came close to his bed and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, “Give me strength this day, O Lord God of Israel!” 8 And she struck his neck twice with all her might, and severed his head from his body. 9 Then she tumbled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts; after a moment she went out, and gave Holofer′nes’ head to her maid, 10 who placed it in her food bag.

Judith Returns to Bethulia

Then the two of them went out together, as they were accustomed to go for prayer; and they passed through the camp and circled around the valley and went up the mountain to Bethu′lia and came to its gates. 11 Judith called out from afar to the watchmen at the gates, “Open, open the gate! God, our God, is still with us, to show his power in Israel, and his strength against our enemies, even as he has done this day!”

12 When the men of her city heard her voice, they hurried down to the city gate and called together the elders of the city. 13 They all ran together, both small and great, for it was unbelievable that she had returned; they opened the gate and admitted them, and they kindled a fire for light, and gathered around them. 14 Then she said to them with a loud voice, “Praise God, O praise him! Praise God, who has not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel, but has destroyed our enemies by my hand this very night!”

15 Then she took the head out of the bag and showed it to them, and said, “See, here is the head of Holofer′nes, the commander of the Assyrian army, and here is the canopy beneath which he lay in his drunken stupor. The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman. 16 As the Lord lives, who has protected me in the way I went, it was my face that tricked him to his destruction, and yet he committed no act of sin with me, to defile and shame me.”

17 All the people were greatly astonished, and bowed down and worshiped God, and said with one accord, “Blessed art thou, our God, who hast brought into contempt this day the enemies of thy people.”

18 And Uzzi′ah said to her, “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who has guided you to strike the head of the leader of our enemies. 19 Your hope will never depart from the hearts of men, as they remember the power of God. 20 May God grant this to be a perpetual honor to you, and may he visit you with blessings, because you did not spare your own life when our nation was brought low, but have avenged our ruin, walking in the straight path before our God.” And all the people said, “So be it, so be it!”[a]

O Lord Antiphon

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

December 18 ~ O Lord antiphon

Ornament: burning bush

O Leader of the House of Israel,

giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:

come to rescue us with your mighty power!

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{Exodus 3:2}

Exodus 20

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.

and

The Ten Commandments

20 And God spoke all these words, saying,[a]

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 “You shall have no other gods before[b] me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lordyour God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; 11 for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

13 “You shall not kill.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

18 Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin.”

The Law concerning the Altar

²¹And the people stood afar off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. ²²And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. ²³You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. ²⁴An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones; for if you wield your tool upon it you profane it.²⁶And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’

O Wisdom antiphon

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 15:46:00 +0000

December 17 ~ O Wisdom

Ornament: an open book

O Wisdom of our God Most High,

guiding creation with power and love:

come to teach us the path of knowledge!

Reading: Sirach 24: 1-2

Wisdom will praise herself,
    and will glory in the midst of her people.[a]
2 In the assembly of the Most High she will open her mouth,
    and in the presence of his host she will glory:
3 “I came forth from the mouth of the Most High,
    and covered the earth like a mist.
4 I dwelt in high places,
    and my throne was in a pillar of cloud.
5 Alone I have made the circuit of the vault of heaven
    and have walked in the depths of the abyss.
6 In the waves of the sea, in the whole earth,
    and in every people and nation I have gotten a possession.
7 Among all these I sought a resting place;
    I sought in whose territory I might lodge.

8 “Then the Creator of all things gave me a commandment,
    and the one who created me assigned a place for my tent.
And he said, ‘Make your dwelling in Jacob,
    and in Israel receive your inheritance.’
9 From eternity, in the beginning, he created me,
    and for eternity I shall not cease to exist.
10 In the holy tabernacle I ministered before him,
    and so I was established in Zion.
11 In the beloved city likewise he gave me a resting place,
    and in Jerusalem was my dominion.
12 So I took root in an honored people,
    in the portion of the Lord, who is their inheritance.

13 “I grew tall like a cedar in Leb′anon,
    and like a cypress on the heights of Hermon.
14 I grew tall like a palm tree in En-ged′i,[b]
    and like rose plants in Jericho;
like a beautiful olive tree in the field,
    and like a plane tree I grew tall.
15 Like cassia and camel’s thorn I gave forth the aroma of spices,
    and like choice myrrh I spread a pleasant odor,
like gal′banum, on′ycha, and stacte,
    and like the fragrance of frankincense in the tabernacle.
16 Like a terebinth I spread out my branches,
    and my branches are glorious and graceful.
17 Like a vine I caused loveliness to bud,
    and my blossoms became glorious and abundant fruit.[c]

19 “Come to me, you who desire me,
    and eat your fill of my produce.
20 For the remembrance of me is sweeter than honey,
    and my inheritance sweeter than the honeycomb.
21 Those who eat me will hunger for more,
    and those who drink me will thirst for more.
22 Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame,
    and those who work with my help will not sin.”

Wisdom and the Law

23 All this is the book of the covenant of the Most High God,
    the law which Moses commanded us
    as an inheritance for the congregations of Jacob.[d]
25 It fills men with wisdom, like the Pishon,
    and like the Tigris at the time of the first fruits.
26 It makes them full of understanding, like the Euphrates,
    and like the Jordan at harvest time.
27 It makes instruction shine forth like light,
    like the Gihon at the time of vintage.
28 Just as the first man did not know her perfectly,
    the last one has not fathomed her;
29 for her thought is more abundant than the sea,
    and her counsel deeper than the great abyss.

³⁰I went forth like a canal from a river
    and like a water channel into a garden.
³¹I said, “I will water my orchard
    and drench my garden plot”;
and lo, my canal became a river,
    and my river became a sea.
³²I will again make instruction shine forth like the dawn,
    and I will make it shine afar;
³³I will again pour out teaching like prophecy,
    and leave it to all future generations.
³⁴Observe that I have not labored for myself alone,
    but for all who seek instruction.^[e]

Jesse Tree Day 19

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 19 ~ Raphael

Ornament: fish or angel

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{Tobit 11:7-8}

Tobit

Homeward Journey

11 After this Tobi′as went on his way, praising God because he had made his journey a success. And he blessed Rag′uel and his wife Edna.

So he continued on his way until they came near to Nin′eveh. 2 Then Raph′ael said to Tobi′as, “Are you not aware, brother, of how you left your father? 3 Let us run ahead of your wife and prepare the house. 4 And take the gall of the fish with you.” So they went their way, and the dog went along behind them.

5 Now Anna sat looking intently down the road for her son. 6 And she caught sight of him coming, and said to his father, “Behold, your son is coming, and so is the man who went with him!”

Tobit’s Sight Restored

7 Raph′ael said, “I know, Tobi′as, that your father will open his eyes. 8 You therefore must anoint his eyes with the gall; and when they smart he will rub them, and will cause the white films to fall away, and he will see you.”

9 Then Anna ran to meet them, and embraced her son, and said to him, “I have seen you, my child; now I am ready to die.” And they both wept. 10 Tobit started toward the door, and stumbled. But his son ran to him 11 and took hold of his father, and he sprinkled the gall upon his father’s eyes, saying, “Be of good cheer, father.” 12 And when his eyes began to smart he rubbed them,13 and the white films scaled off from the corners of his eyes. 14 Then he saw his son and embraced him, and he wept and said, “Blessed art thou, O God, and blessed is thy name for ever, and blessed are all thy holy angels. 15 For thou hast afflicted me, but thou hast had mercy upon me; here I see my son Tobi′as!” And his son went in rejoicing, and he reported to his father the great things that had happened to him in Media.

16 Then Tobit went out to meet his daughter-in-law at the gate of Nin′eveh, rejoicing and praising God. Those who saw him as he went were amazed because he could see. 17 And Tobit gave thanks before them that God had been merciful to him. When Tobit came near to Sarah his daughter-in-law, he blessed her, saying, “Welcome, daughter! Blessed is God who has brought you to us, and blessed are your father and your mother.” So there was rejoicing among all his brethren in Nin′eveh. 18 Ahi′kar and his nephew Nadab[a] came,19 and Tobi′as’ marriage was celebrated for seven days with great festivity.

Jesse Tree Day 18

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 18 ~ Nehemiah

Ornament: brick wall

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{Nehemiah 2:17-18}

Nehemiah 1-7

Decision to Restore the Walls

17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been upon me for good, and also of the words which the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.

Jesse Tree Day 17

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 17 ~ Hezekiah

Ornament: teardrop(s)

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{2 Kings 20:1-6}

2 Kings 18-20

Hezekiah’s Reign over Judah

18 In the third year of Hoshe′a son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezeki′ah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechari′ah. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Ashe′rah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had burned incense to it; it was called Nehush′tan. 5 He trusted in the Lord the God of Israel; so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; wherever he went forth, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria, and would not serve him. 8 He smote the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

9 In the fourth year of King Hezeki′ah, which was the seventh year of Hoshe′a son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmane′ser king of Assyria came up against Samar′ia and besieged it 10 and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezeki′ah, which was the ninth year of Hoshe′a king of Israel, Samar′ia was taken. 11 The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lordcommanded; they neither listened nor obeyed.

Sennacherib Invades Judah

13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezeki′ah Sennach′erib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 14 And Hezeki′ah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.” And the king of Assyria required of Hezeki′ah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 And Hezeki′ah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezeki′ah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts which Hezeki′ah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. 17 And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rab′saris, and the Rab′shakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezeki′ah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 18 And when they called for the king, there came out to them Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the secretary, and Jo′ah the son of Asaph, the recorder.

19 And the Rab′shakeh said to them, “Say to Hezeki′ah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this confidence of yours? 20 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? On whom do you now rely, that you have rebelled against me? 21 Behold, you are relying now on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We rely on the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezeki′ah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”? 23 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders upon them. 24 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25 Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”

26 Then Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, and Shebnah, and Jo′ah, said to the Rab′shakeh, “Pray, speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But the Rab′shakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?”

28 Then the Rab′shakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezeki′ah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. 30 Do not let Hezeki′ah make you to rely on the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 31 Do not listen to Hezeki′ah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat of his own vine, and every one of his own fig tree, and every one of you will drink the water of his own cistern; 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezeki′ah when he misleads you by saying, The Lord will deliver us. 33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharva′im, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samar′ia out of my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”

36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Jo′ah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezeki′ah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of the Rab′shakeh.

Hezekiah Consults Isaiah

19 When King Hezeki′ah heard it, he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eli′akim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezeki′ah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.4 It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rab′shakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” 5 When the servants of King Hezeki′ah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’”

Sennacherib’s Threat

8 The Rab′shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 And when the king heard concerning Tirha′kah king of Ethiopia, “Behold, he has set out to fight against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezeki′ah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezeki′ah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations which my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharva′im, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Hezeki′ah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezeki′ah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.15 And Hezeki′ah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord the God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, thou art the God, thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 16 Incline thy ear, OLord, and hear; open thy eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennach′erib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Of a truth, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, I beseech thee, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou, O Lord, art God alone.”

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezeki′ah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennach′erib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:

“She despises you, she scorns you—
    the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
    the daughter of Jerusalem.

22 “Whom have you mocked and reviled?
    Against whom have you raised your voice
and haughtily lifted your eyes?
    Against the Holy One of Israel!
23 By your messengers you have mocked the Lord,
    and you have said, ‘With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
    to the far recesses of Lebanon;
I felled its tallest cedars,
    its choicest cypresses;
I entered its farthest retreat,
    its densest forest.
24 I dug wells
    and drank foreign waters,
and I dried up with the sole of my foot
    all the streams of Egypt.’

25 “Have you not heard
    that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
    what now I bring to pass,
that you should turn fortified cities
    into heaps of ruins,
26 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
    are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field,
    and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops;
    blighted before it is grown?

27 “But I know your sitting down
    and your going out and coming in,
    and your raging against me.
28 Because you have raged against me
    and your arrogance has come into my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
    and my bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back on the way
    by which you came.

29 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same; then in the third year sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward; 31 for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord will do this.

32 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, says the Lord. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death

35 And that night the angel of the Lord went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians;[a] and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennach′erib king of Assyria departed, and went home, and dwelt at Nin′eveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adram′melech and Share′zer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ar′arat. And Esarhad′don his son reigned in his stead.

Hezekiah’s Illness

20 In those days Hezeki′ah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover.’”2 Then Hezeki′ah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,3 “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight.” And Hezeki′ah wept bitterly. 4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezeki′ah the prince of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. 6 And I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.”7 And Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on the boil, that he may recover.”

8 And Hezeki′ah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” 9 And Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” 10 And Hezeki′ah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps; rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” 11 And Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord; and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which the sun[b] had declined on the dial of Ahaz.

Envoys from Babylon

12 At that time Mero′dach-bal′adan the son of Bal′adan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezeki′ah; for he heard that Hezeki′ah had been sick. 13 And Hezeki′ah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses; there was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezeki′ah did not show them. 14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezeki′ah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And whence did they come to you?” And Hezeki′ah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” 15 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezeki′ah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezeki′ah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 18 And some of your own sons, who are born to you, shall be taken away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 19 Then said Hezeki′ah to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”

Death of Hezekiah

20 The rest of the deeds of Hezeki′ah, and all his might, and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 21 And Hezeki′ah slept with his fathers; and Manas′seh his son reigned in his stead.

Jesse Tree Day 16

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 16: Elijah

Ornament: Raven

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{1 Kings 17:2-6}

1 Kings 17-18: 21-39

2 And the word of the Lord came to him,3 “Depart from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.

Jesse Tree Day 15

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 15: Solomon

Ornament: Scales of Justice

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{1 Kings 3:3-14}

1 Kings 1-11

3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father; only, he sacrificed and burnt incense at the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings upon that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream[k] by night; and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”6 And Solomon said, “Thou hast shown great and steadfast love to thy servant David my father, because he walked before thee in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward thee; and thou hast kept for him this great and steadfast love, and hast given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.9 Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great people?”

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

Jesse Tree Day 14

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Day 14: David

Ornament: harp

Reading: {Short form in brackets}

{1 Samuel 16:14-23}

1 Samuel 16-20,

David Plays the Lyre for Saul

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the Lord is with him.”19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a skin of wine and a kid, and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul, and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.