Responding to Yahweh the only wise God!!

practicing (to make ..)

---

Sunday at "Mark in da Park" we looked at Matt chapter 4; verse12 & following..It was amazing, considering various translations of the Greek words behind the English ones: Kingdom, Heaven, preach/ proclaim, repent, (to which we could have added: "at hand" & "gospel/ Good-News", and we could have noted that Jesus left his home village, and moved..verse 13). But it struck me that the most important thing is the spirit that impelled or led him forward, the spirit of the God who IS love (Matt4:1). With that in place, then all the technologies, or methodologies (like memory, meditation, message, the acts of heralding and teaching, the terminology/vocabulary employed in communication), have a place as well; but without the spirit/ motivating-force, impetus, being right, all the rest is useless. That spirit (of God), or motivating impetus (of love), is primary. Our ways of connecting, our technologies, though essential, are secondary.

After lunch a couple of us talked about spiritually helpful technologies, and practiced one (memorization) [that was a means to another (meditation)], with another bit of scripture. Here it is: Rom 12:1&2 (Dave & Paul; 16April23)

---

Therefore, I urge you, 

brothers and sisters, in view 

of God’s mercy, to 

offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, 

holy and pleasing to… 

to God – this is your true 

and proper worship. Do ..

Do not conform to 

the pattern of this world, but be

transformed by the renew-

-wing of your mind. Then you 

will be able to..

to test and approve 

what God’s will is – 

his good, please-

-sing and perfect will.

Romans twelve verses one & two

NIVU..

UK?..

..

Me too!

---

To put more creativity (& fun) into it, one can add rhythm, play a tune, etc..  e.g. (audio, versions with piano). and (another version, accapella, last version with piano)

---

Now, once it is crammed into our mind (memorization), we can have a week of meditating on it, asking what does it really say? Who to? (singular and plural? etc) What does that mean to practice? How do you live that? (Practically?). But being led by that spirit of love/compassion is by far the most important thing.

---

Creative Love's help..

---

MSG2ME…(a husband of two, for his wife and family) please be praying for my wife and I to have wisdom in knowing how to go gently with her body, she is having difficulty with build ups of anxiety that are making doing the daily routine a real challenge of discipline of mind for her. She is going to see the doctor again sooner than later, but it does feel like a long and challenging way forward to her. Thanks for your prayers … :)

---

Oh help them God with wisdom from above,

that put this world together at the first,

and keeps each molecule (as hand does glove)

full blown, with substance so it's fit to burst

with meaning, for you mean it (from your love)

to be your children's nursery (or womb).

Please make them wise as serpents, harmless doves,

as they learn how to manufacture room

(& rooms) within the structure of their home.

And may you be their hiding place, and house,

and they be that for you, as they do roam

about this Earth, their sandpit (which is grouse!).

While they are here a bridge-way  through the sky

from Earth to Heaven, and then back a-gain,

with God's Messiah helping them to fly

& keep aloft, through sickness, health, and pain.

Please give them, from your vast resources, as

they need it, and become aware of needs,

and ask their father as Messiah has

enjoined us to be open - & to seeds

of your good life and love, as garden beds

become known by the plants that grow in them.

We join with them, to ask you (as they said)

so your good life might be displayed now when

these weaknesses are known, experienced

(that's when your love is known deeper again).

We see it growing in their prayer request,

and knowing you read too, we say "Amen!".

---

Children of..

 Thanks for the list of boys and girls and their ages, that we might get to care for, and plan good things for.  

---

Oh God, these kids you know much more than us,

& even than their parents do. They're yours!

You made them, love them, are the one who'll fuss

about, as no-one else would. Just "because"..

that is what love does. Knowing all our needs,

and too all our desires, you'll do the best

for us, but not mechanic'ly, for seeds

will grow in garden beds after they rest

from being seeds - that shape and form, and store

of food (for tougher times that might come on),

and when they do, a kind of life that's more

will burst on out, the seed will be quite gone!

And yet we think, it always had that life,

because the source of life contrived things so.

A "second death" would cut that like a knife,

and burn it up. Good farmers aren't so slow

as to do that to ev'ry plant they've got,

they treasure those they work quite hard to grow;

so much they may well leave some weeds that shot 

up after plants grew up. "Best time"A they'll know.

And all these seeds, each child, offspring of God,

as poets of the Greeks had even seen,B

we pray will grow as that, look for your nod,

and open up themselves  at inbetween

times (unimportant to some lookers on

but precious to a parent who knows love)

with us, with you, our father, with your sonC,

'n'our oldest brother's spirit "from above".

Amen.

---

A 

• "In the fullness of time…" (), "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe …  (Mark 1:15 KJV) and "..at the harvest we'll separate the weeds and the wheat, because I don't want to damage the wheat" ()

B 

• "..for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as some also of your own poets have said, "For we are also his offspring." So then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God has overlooked; but now he commands all men everywhere to stop turning away, and to turn back: because he has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; of whom he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead. Acts 17:28‭-‬31

C 

• I never knew you! [of course, I know everything about you, every detail. I keep dreaming the world and your body up. But you are a baby god, & are thus able to choose yourself to open yourself up to YAHWEH (Creative Love), or not. And that will not be taken away from you. You must use your choice to turn towards me, and open yourself up to me to grow to be a true, grown up god, as I made you to be. Born to be like me, both your Mother & Father figure, to be loved, & to love. If you won't open yourself up to me in this way, let me raise you in (& into) the culture of eternity (gaining the language, habits, sense of humour, justice, honour, loyalty, love etc, of eternity) you retain the curse of the unborn, useless, discarded in the natural process of things as a still-born fetus or dead unborn baby. And I will not undo your capacity to choose, once given.] Depart from me you cursed… take yourself to the only place your choices can keep "existing", to the cosmic rubbish dump. ()

• Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3 NIVUK)

• I beg you to open up to us also…()

• As you opened up to us you opened up to God. You took me in…()

---

A body broken, blood poured out,

 a cost to one, this is love's "shout"!

New life comes here, this way for us,

a chance to let love grow, and fuss.

---

Oh Daddy, how come life can be this good?

With one adventure on the last, then more;

but respite in between, so that we could 

be readied for the next. And still be sure

of love like yours that hangs around to bless,

but lets us still make choices (not just doomed),

as baby gods (your offspring), eggs in nest,

or maybe more like mammals, still en-womb-ed.

But either way, we find that, down the track,

we are in no position, normally,

to see your face, but we can see your back

(when light appears to show what can be seen).

In this way you're our Mum, as well as Dad.

Sustainer, with your body nourishing.

And Jesus' word to us is just a tad

more precious (born from body torn). We sing

as goos and gahs of babe are heard by Mum,

and understood to be some way to say

what can't yet be conceived, but could still come

to be the words "I love you too." You say,

Lord Jesus, that for us to grow up so

to be like you, we'll need our food and drink,

and that the source of both is (now we know)

your body that will nourish. Milk, we think,

gets all its nourishment and growing pow'rs

from blood of Mum, and draws us close to her.

We will acknowledge gladly that the hours

we spend with you, are precious - though they blurr.

---

washing away 'n' - starting again

 

---

Then Jesus came from out of Galilee

to where John baptised* (where the Jordan ran),

to be baptised* himself, washed clean and free;

but John then tried to stop him. He began: 

‘I need for you to clean me up. Yes you

are who should baptise me, we know that much.

And do you come to me?’ Jesus said to

him, ‘Let it be so. For cleansing as such

does not besmirch who's cleaned up, or who cleans.’ 

Then John said "Ok, once again you're right." 

He did the ritu'l washing. Next was seen:

some thing, as he prayed (came from Hea'n to sight

of some on Earth who saw what angels try

to see): the one who brooded at the start

of ev'rything, came down as dove from sky

to us through curtains ripped, to bare God's heart..

And God, who's often qui-et, could not keep

so, with that tearing, tearing up, he spoke

up once again, this time he did not weep,

except in joy maybe, 'n'says of this  bloke:

"Well loved! My son! Well pleased, I am. My choice!"

And like ol' Noah^ who received a dove

of peace to offer heaven's help (with voice);

a new start with a new son of God's love

was witnessed by some one, or must be two.

So now he could both wash and recreate,

as flood, and ark with disembark, renewed.

John got excited. Now he'd speak, and wait!

---

*  the Greek word (βαπτίζω) transliterated into English letters as baptidzo, means "to wash" and it is so translated by most English versions in Mark 7; but where it refers to a ritual maintained in various forms by the Christian Church over the millennia since Christ [the Common Era (C.E.)], most translators have maintained a traditional practice of leaving the Greek word, transliterated (simply spelling out the sounds of the Greek word with English letters), to minimize sectarian rivalry as to whether it meant bath-ing, or showering. It turns out that it would have been better to keep the core of the meaning, to wash clean. And since the story of the flood lived in the Jewish mindset as both a washing of the world, but also then, and maybe more importantly, a new start at culturing human-ness… In this way Noah may be the model for Yeshua, and Yeshua spoke afterwards of his crucifixion as a further "baptism" he was yet to undergo (Mark 10:38‭-‬40)

^ The story of Noah, was a washing away of sin, by washing away the people who held it within them, and then a second chance at culturing humanity (with an Adam-like covenant). And it was well known, even memorized, by nearly all Jewish children in the First Century C.E. (Gen 6:5-9:17)

---

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ Matthew 3:13‭-‬17 NIVUK [Matthew 3:17 (Greek, then 4 other English translations)]

And this was his message: ‘After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ Mark 1:07-‬11 NIVUK 

When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ Luke 3:21‭-‬22 NIVUK

The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, “A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’ Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.” I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.’ John 1:29‭-‬34 NIVUK

---